Dark Moon Rising
by ElectricSkeletons
Summary: It's the 68th Hunger Games. Pandora Sullivan finds herself caught between the horrors of the Capitol and saving her family. All she's ever known is District 7. So what happens when she is Reaped and thrown into the arena to fight to the death? What happens when she becomes a tool of the Capitol and President Snow? One thing is for sure, nothing will be the same.
1. Hunting

N/A: I don't own any of the characters from the Hunger Games.

* * *

_Hunting_

It was always cold when morning's crept form the horizon in District 7. The sweet smell of the woods and dirt danced through the landscape, and when you roused and stepped out of your home you could close your eyes and imagine the wild flower fields and sappy tree trunks that surrounded the buildings. The buzzing of sawmills and lumberyards echoed far from the District center into the wilderness.

A mile south, into the forest of District 7, morning fog was rolling off a mountain near a crystal lake. The clear water lapped at the rocky shore, as the dull light of dawn filtered through the tops of pine trees and a small doe emerged from the woods to drink. Minutes past as the deer elegantly stretched its neck to the peaceful waves. It was unaware of the eyes that watched it, unaware of the puffs of cold breath that rose from the shadow of a boulder.

"Now?" a small boy no taller than 4 feet asked. His dark eyes anxiously peered towards the deer.

An older boy, with scraggly hair and stumble on his chin angrily glared at his talkative companion and scowled. In his hand was a spear.

"Pandora, we've been sitting here for—"

Suddenly a fair hand reached out for the small boy and cupped his mouth closed. Her eyes were amber and her hair was long and dark. Without words she raised her finger to her mouth and shook her head.

Several heartbeats past before she lowered her hand and turned her attention back to the doe, still resting at the crest of the lake. Pandora Sullivan was hunting with her brothers. A ritual they performed habitually to collect sustenance for the rest of the family. It was a cold morning, despite the coming of spring, and her cheeks and nose were flushed with a hue of rosy pink. Quietly, she adjusted her body against the mossy rock and twitched her eyes to her older brother. August was tall, with piercing blue eyes, the only blue eyes in the family, though he still had the deep chestnut hue to his hair that all of the Sullivan children had. He licked his lips as he tightened his grip on the spear and suddenly popped up from behind the rock to heave the weapon with aim.

The doe began running in panic but it was too late. The spear flew through the air and dropped the animal before it had reached the woods.

"I can't believe you got it!" Pandora exclaimed, jumping away from the large rock and running towards the doe, she laughed as she pulled the spear from its neck, "We haven't gotten a deer in months."

"And we almost scared it away—or should I say Dash did, what were you thinking?"

The small boy in question furrowed his brow and peered between his older brother and sister, "I didn't want to come. I could still be sleeping now!"

"Relax, boys. It was Dash's first hunt," Pandora was kneeling next to the deer, her hands fumbled for something in her rucksack, "He's 10 years old, officially a man now."

"Well—let's not get ahead of ourselves," August quipped, grinning mockingly.

"I'm a man," Dash repeated his sister's words, tilting his head up with pride as he jabbed his brother's side.

Sunlight gleamed off of a blade of silver as Pandora pulled a knife from her bag and studied the form of the deer, "We better gather the meat fast. The lumberjacks should be coming through this area today."

August sighed as he snatched the knife from Pandora and shrugged, "I'll get the meat, you and Dash see what you can find in the woods."

Her eyes were wide in surprise as she climbed to her feet and arched her eyebrow, "Fine—but I'll want my knife back."

"Noted."

Although she could hear Dash following her into the woods, they didn't exchange words or glances. All that could be heard was the crackling of twigs and crunching of leaves underneath their feet. The sun was rising fast, shedding warm yellow glows of sun rays through the canopy of the forest. They spent the next hour gathering berries and herbaceous plants for teas and medicines before hearing the first signs of saw and axe-bearing men. Wordlessly, Pandora twitched her eyes from the blackberries of a shrub to the sound of machines and lively shouts.

"Time to go!" August was suddenly to her side, his hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her into a run as he motioned for his younger brother to follow.

It was against the law of District 7 to go hunting in the woods for two reasons. The first was that it was considered black market activity and would draw the citizens away from the public and legal market. The second was because it got in the way of the lumberyard workers. Despite the fact that Pandora had never heard what happens to people that are caught doing freelance hunting, she didn't want to find out. Her lips drew into a smile as she wove her way through the trees and over dewy logs, rocks, and roots.

It was when the trio leapt through a thicket into a meadow of tall grass that she heard August laugh in amusement. Her brown eyes cheerfully glanced to him and then to Dash. She could feel her heart thumping against her ribcage, but it wasn't from fear or anxiety. She felt free. The woods of District 7 brought it out in her, the forest of her home. Pandora knew that her brothers felt the same way, and this only made it better. Suddenly she heard herself laughing as well.

They ran even when they knew that they were at no risk of being discovered. Slowly the running turned into play.

"I bet I can beat you to the house!" August called out hurling his body over a log.

"We'll see about that!" Pandora yelled towards him, smiling as she quickened her sprint.

"Hey! Not fair! You guys have longer legs than me!" Dash complained, tailing behind his siblings.

Pandora laughed as she caught up to August and gave him a playful shove. They had reached the top of a hill and the center of District 7 was just in view. Buildings and mills sprawled out in a chaotic grid. The subdivision of homes and huts was on the outer edge of the web of constructions.

"Cheater!" August shouted with feigned anger as Pandora took the lead.

She smiled ruefully as she swatted low hanging branches out of her way and sprinted into the open landscape. Before she knew it she was running along the street that led to her house. Her eyes darted to a familiar face, an elderly woman who lived only a few huts down.

"Pandora Sullivan! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Pandora peered over her shoulder to see her brothers only a few feet behind, "Can't talk now Mrs. Pritchard!" She exclaimed, darting around the old woman, so close that she brushed against her shawl.

"Well—" The woman scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the boys as they ran past seconds later, "—I never."

Dash beamed a boyish smile at her wrinkled face as he stumbled behind his brother, "Good morning, Mrs. Pritchard!"

Pandora shuffled her boots along the dirt road, grabbing the sides of the huts as she looked back to her brothers and laughed. Her smile grew as she made a sharp turn around a bend, but she was so busy watching her brothers that she hadn't seen the person in front of her. When she collided with the man a yelp flew past her lips. The mud underneath her feet shifted causing her to stumble back a few steps.

"Sorry—I—" her words stopped when she peered up at the man. He was a peacekeeper and he looked angry.

"Pandora! You cheating—" The boys had caught up to her, but August's voice cut off when he saw who she was staring at.

In fear, Dash hid behind August. Pandora's lips parted and her back straightened.

"What's going on here?" The peacekeeper exclaimed with annoyance.

"We were just playing," Dash whispered from behind the leg of his brother.

"Playing!"

Pandora nervously rubbed her lips together and shook her head, "We were heading home."

"Sorry," August added on, his blue eyes shifting to the gun dangling from the peacekeepers belt, "We didn't mean to get in your way."

"Get out of here before I arrest you, you pathetic District 7 rats."

Pandora dropped her eyes, walking past the peacekeeper as she meekly adjusted the straps of her rucksack. Her amber eyes were still on the ground when she heard the peacekeeper called back to them. His words cut like a knife and were only made worse by the cruel laugh that followed:

"Oh and tomorrow's Reaping Day. Happy Hunger Games!"

She furrowed her brow in anger and peered to the faces of her brothers. There were no more smiles or laughs. They had left the forest and were back to the charred reality of Panem. The wooden planks creaked as they ascended the porch steps. Pandora was the last one to the screen door, she could hear her baby sister crying when she wrapped her fingers around the door and heard a high pitch whistle shriek from the west. The train was arriving.

"Are you coming inside?" Her mother called to her.

But her eyes lingered on the faint puffs of white smoke that emerged from the woods. She could see the arrow of darkness shoot across the tracks and into the station that reseted at the bottom of the valley.

"Pandora?"

Her lips parted, all remnants of joy left her face. "May the odds be ever in your favor," the whisper was disguised by the wind. Quietly she disappeared into her home, hearing the porch door close behind her.


	2. The Reaping

_The Reaping _

It was the one day out of the year that every District in Panem felt the weight of fear and doom. Distrct 7 was no different.

Pandora roused early. She was seventeen, this was her sixth Reaping and she had been lucky enough to beat the odds of the tesserae five times before. Last year she had put her name in 2 times, one for enough rations for her mother and another for her baby sister. But this year it was different. This year she had to put her name in 4 times. August was now nineteen and unable to be reaped, the responsibility of gathering enough rations for the year fell solely on Pandora. And although her mother and eldest brother tried to convince her otherwise, she knew this was something she had to do.

Almost immediately after waking she wandered to the shower, shivering when the cold water spilled over her. There was no hot water in District 7, at least none for the common citizens. The Victor's Village and the Mayor's house were the only exceptions to this.

Her teeth chattered as she dashed out of the shower and grabbed for a towel. The house was still sleeping when she quietly tiptoed from the bathroom to her room and shut the door. In a worn mirror near her bed she briefly glanced at her reflection, studying her soaking dark hair and wide eyes. It was the only day out of the year that the children of Panem were asked to look presentable, like preparing cattle for the slaughter.

After a brief time she blinked her eyes away and walked to her wardrobe. Her hands casually brushed past normal clothing, not stopping until she reached the far shadows of the cupboard, where she caught a glimpse of the fabric. It was the single dress she owned, handed down from her mother. A burgundy dress that fell just past the knees and had a square neckline. She stared at it, rubbing the soft fabric between her fingers before slipping it over her head and fastening the back.

Beyond the window she could see rain pouring from a thick shield of unrelenting clouds. A dreary day to match the mood, though she was sure that the fresh shipment of officials that arrived yesterday from the Capitol were having heart attacks at this moment, hoping that it would clear up.

After she had dressed and slipped her shoes on, she emerged from her room, freezing abruptly as she rounded the corner into the main area. Her family was waiting for her. All in a row, except August who was stirring a pot of something near the stove. He offered her breakfast but she declined, mostly because she wasn't hungry but mainly because she afraid that wouldn't be able to keep anything down at this point. She scanned the faces, even peering at her baby sister to see the wisp of chestnut curls around her face.

"When did everyone get up?"

There was a heavy silence. A silence that caused Pandora to drop her eyes, it was as if her father had died all over again.

"Do you want me to do your hair, Pan?" Her mother softly asked, ignoring her daughter's question.

She quietly nodded, lowering herself to her mother's feet. Though her hair was still damp, it was quickly drying. Her mother pulled her hair into a ponytail, leaving a few strands near her face loose and letting the long strands of the ponytail tickle her shoulder blades.

"Nice day for a Reaping," August suddenly said.

"August! Don't make jokes like that."

"It's fine, Mom—" Pandora shrugged, climbing to her feet and adjusting her dress, "Everything's going to be fine. This isn't my first Reaping."

She quickly looked away, unable to stare into her mom's eyes and see sadness. That was something she couldn't bear to deal with now. She had to be strong, even if she felt sick, even if she felt scared.

"This for you," Dash whispered, tugging on her dress and smiling, "It's for good luck."

Her lips parted. It was a bracelet. Nothing extravagant or breathtaking, just a simple silver bracelet with a fragile charm of a tree dangling from it, but to her it was beautiful.

"Oh Dash," her brown irises softened as she knelt down to look her brother in the eye, "Thank you."

He pursed his lips, furrowing his brow. She could tell he was trying to hold back the tears that were stinging his eyes, "I love you."

Pandora smiled, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her head next to his, "I love you too, kid."

When she mustered the courage to break the hug and look up, everyone was staring at her. Calmly she slipped the bracelet onto her wrist and said her goodbyes. Just before she opened the door and grabbed her jacket, she peered back at everyone, "Maybe when I get back we can make something out of that deer we caught yesterday."

"You can count on it," August replied, giving her one last smile before she left.

It was the first time she had to go to a Reaping alone. It felt strange. Prior to this all the Reapings were unnerving, but this one felt different. Something wasn't right. She hugged her jacket closer to her body, occasionally twitching her eyes to the rain. The District House was only a few blocks away, and children from the ages of twelve to eighteen streamed towards the tiny square outside the House steps.

Normally the sawmills and lumberyards would be bustling with noise and workers but not today. Today they were deserted. Everyone had their eyes and ears turned to their local television screens and radios to see who was going to be picked for this year's Hunger Games. She could feel rain trickle down her neck and by the time she reached the District House and identified herself her hair was wet again. She was corralled into the section with all the seventeen year olds, each standing shoulder to shoulder awaiting the moment when the female and male Tributes for District 7 would be named.

Sitting in a row with a makeshift rain guard overhead were several officials for the Hunger Games and the District. Mayor Banes was sitting closest to the podium, along with several city officials Pandora recognized. Next her eyes moved to a woman with faded blue skin and silver lips. The woman's hair was a darker blue, a blue that reminded Pandora of August's eyes. Without a doubt she was the Capitol's representative. The final person, lazily slumped in his seat was one of the only Victors from District 7, apart from Johanna Mason, who was never present at the Reapings. His name was Lux Halstead, and he was a known throughout the District for being a morphling, though no one said much about that.

Echoed thumps caused Pandora to peer back to the podium. Mayor Banes was rapping his finger against the microphone to make sure that he had everyone's attention.

"Hello—and welcome to the 68th Hunger Games!"

No one cheered or clapped apart from the representative from the Capitol.

"Here to be this year's representative for our District 7 Tributes is Catia Lawson!"

Instantly after the brief introduction, Catia Lawson took to the podium, pushing the Mayor aside as she adjusted her silver and navy dress. She looked eager, an expression that made Pandora feel nauseous.

"Thank you," her Capitol accent was thick, "We will begin the name pulling with the males!"

Her extraordinarily tall heels clacked against the stage as she wandered to the wooden container, made from the surrounding woods, holding all male names. Gingerly she leaned forward, and riffled through the small pieces of parchment with her claw-like nails, smiling for a moment before snatching one out and prancing to the microphone.

"The male tribute representing District 7 is—"

In that moment nothing could be heard but the rain. Not a single person moved, for fear that it would be someone they knew, or worse, that it would be them.

"Marius Bishop!"

Pandora shifted her eyes to the movement in the crowd. The name was familiar but it wasn't until he ascended the steps and stood beside Catia Lawson that she recognized him. Marius Bishop was a year older than Pandora, and one of her brother's friends. He only had one year left before he was out of the Reaping.

In horrifying glee Catia clapped her hands together and patted Marius on the back, a gesture that he never reciprocated or responded to. His black hair stuck to his face because of the rain and his light eyes peered around the crowd that stared back at him. You could tell he was scared.

"Now for the girls—"

Pandora could feel her heart thumping against her chest. Raindrops hit her in the face, but she ignored them. Her eyes remained glued to the wooden container.

"The female tribute for the 68th Hunger Games is—"

She sniffed and hugged her drenched coat violently. She wanted to scream, to run into the woods, but she remained motionless.

"Pandora Sullivan!"

She could feel the blood quickly rushing out of her face. Her eyes widened in panic and her lips parted. She couldn't find the strength to move.

"Pandora Sullivan?"

The girls around her pushed Pandora forward. She didn't realize that she was moving towards the stage until she was standing next to the podium looking out at all the lucky faces.

"Isn't this fun!" Catia exclaimed clapping.

Pandora's lips trembled. She could hear her blood pounding in her brain. Suddenly she felt something grab her hand, when she peered down she saw a light blue hand next to hers. Catia raised Pandora and Marius's hand into the air.

"Your District 7 Tributes!"

Camera's moved around them. Operated by strange mechanics that were filming them live. But despite the morbidly joyful cadence in Catia Lawson's voice, no one cheered. That was something only Career Districts did. In District 7 they gazed on their tributes with mourning and sadness.

Pandora's eyes dropped to her feet, strands of her hair stuck to her neck and face. She was making her debut. She was on display now. Before she could lift her eyes again, she felt someone harshly grab her and pull her towards the back of the stage. Marius was being pulled as well, and as they were escorted into the District House she peered into his eyes with complete terror.

"Pandora—" He said her name as if he knew her, which was not the case, "It's okay," he softly whispered, nodding his head before he was pulled into a room.

In confusion she jerked her head from side to side, "Where are you taking me?"

The peacekeeper didn't answer. They only walked for a few more feet before she was shoved into a room and left alone.

Her dress and jacket were dripping. Her dark eyes glanced around the room in panic. She felt the weight, the overwhelming weight of what was about to happen to her. A whimper passed her lips as she lifted her finger to her mouth and bit her nail.

"Hello!" She yelled, standing in place, shaking, "Let me out of here!"

Suddenly the doorknob twisted, she darted towards the door just as it opened to see her mother and August.

She staggered backwards, gasping for breath.

"Mom—mommy—" She mumbled, holding back tears, but only barely, "I—"

"Shh, shh," her mother threw her arms around Pandora, holding her tight, "I got you."

When she looked at August she could tell from the hazy shadow of his blue eyes that he had been crying. Dash wasn't there, something that Pandora was glad of.

"I can't do this," Pandora whispered, peering between her older brother and mother.

"You can," August voice was firm, "And you will. Come back to us, alright?"

"I don't want to say goodbye."

Her mother cupped Pandora's cheeks in her palms, "So don't."

"Alright! That's all we have time for!" the peacekeeper shouted, as the door opened once more.

"No!" Pandora's voice was hoarse. She took a few steps back, staring at the peacekeeper with wide eyes.

"Don't make this difficult."

Another peacekeeper entered the room.

She pressed her back against the wall, letting out a gasp as one of the guards grabbed her. Her eyes glanced between the face of her mother and brother, "Tell Dash I love him!"

"We will!" Her mother yelled back.

Pandora grabbed at the edge of the door, "I love you both."

She was struggling against the grasp of the peacekeeper.

"Just come back to us quick, okay?" August cupped his hand over his mouth, trying to hold back the tears. The last thing Pandora saw before she was dragged down the hall was August comforting her crying mother.


	3. Living Just to Die

_Living Just to Die_

The screeches that wretched from the rails of the tracks were ear piercing. They had left District 7. The landscape was quickly transforming from rolling hills and valleys, covered in trees, to mountainous terrain. District 7 was one of the Districts closest to the Capitol, it rested a few hundred miles north of the stretches of jagged mountains and high altitudes, with only District 2 standing in the way. A muffled voice crackled through hidden speakers, informing everyone that they would arrive in the Capitol in a short hour. Pandora and Marius were in the dining cart. A lavish interior surrounded them. The tables were made of fine wood, and varnished with a shiny polish. The ground was carpeted with a plush blue fabric that was reflected in the ornate silverware and china. Pieces of crystal chimed against each other from a chandelier dangling above, as the train swayed forward.

They were alone. Sitting in gruesome silence.

Pandora's hair had finally dried from the rain, though her ponytail was so loose that strands of her deep chestnut hair had fallen around her ears and neck. Her burgundy Reaping dress was still damp along the knee length hem. Her jacket hung loosely around her.

She was sitting at the dining table and though Marius was sitting across from her, she refused to look him in the eyes. Her chocolate irises remained on the changing scenery outside. Occasionally they would twitch to the glimmer of silver resting around her wrist. The bracelet that Dash had given her that morning, stared back at her, reminding her of everything that had happened. Everything that seemed unreal and far away. But it hadn't even begun. It was too soon to feel far away. Too soon to forget the way her eldest brother looked when he stood in the doorway at the District House, the way her mother tried to hold back tears.

Her fair finger glided over the fragile bracelet. It was cold, causing a shiver to shudder her bones.

When she pulled her brown tweed jacket closer to her body, she hesitantly peered up at Marius. He was staring at her. He had been the entire time. Pandora wanted to speak but there was nothing left to say. Her lips rubbed together as she furrowed her brow. She wondered if August had said goodbye to Marius. They had always been close, so much so that her eldest brother would sometimes go off hunting with him alone. But all that was over. Even if it was Pandora who was killed in the arena, Marius wouldn't make it out alive. The Careers were too strong and rallied too much support.

The longer she kept her eyes on Marius, the more her heart ached. She could see the same empathy in his blue eyes, the same aching. They were reflections of each other. They were now living, just to die.

Suddenly the compartment doors slid open. Catia Lawson strode into the opulent dining cart with Lux Halstead stumbling behind. Her silver lips tightened into a stiff smile, "My Tributes!" She cheered, clapping her hand as she pointed to the food, "Why haven't you eaten? You need to keep up your strength!"

Pandora's eyes shifted to the platters of fruit from District 11, the meat from District 10. She hadn't seen food like this her entire life, but somehow she couldn't muster the hunger that was needed. All she felt was nausea.

"Look at you two!" She lowered herself into the chair next to Marius, "It's not everyday that the Capitol gets such a striking pair from the outlying Districts."

Pandora's eyes darkened, she knew what Catia meant by _outlying_. It meant the Districts that were solely valued for their resources, not their people.

"Do you two just not speak?"

Her Capitol accent made Pandora's ears itch.

Heart beats past before she finally parted her lips to speak.

"What is there to say?" The contempt wasn't veiled. Her eyes darted to Marius for a brief second.

Catia Lawson pouted her silver lips and arched her blue eyebrow, "You won't get far in the Games with that attitude."

"Maybe I should dye my skin blue, do you think that would make me more likable?" Pandora snapped, narrowing her eyes at the woman.

There was no immediate response, though Catia widened her eyes in shock and insult. Marius smirked, but his eyes shyly dropped to the glass of water soon after.

It was at the moment that Lux Halstead made himself known. He groaned as he lowered himself into the seat next to Pandora, and tapped his fingers incessantly on the table. Pandora guessed he hadn't had his morphine fix in a while.

"Relax, Lawson—" his voice was rough, like the sounds that erupted from the sawmills back in District 7, "These two will learn, one way or the other."

Pandora felt Lux move closer to her. She could smell that he hadn't bathed in quit a while. Afraid to look into his hollow yellow eyes, she turned her face away and pursed her lips.

Catia stared at him in disapproval before traipsing over to a plush seat on the other side of the compartment with a sigh. Pandora could tell from the way Catia was staring at the window that she was looking at her reflection in vanity and not the scenery beyond the glass.

"Now," he sniffed nervously and scratched at his red hair, "Let me have a look at both of you."

The table creaked when he leaned his arms onto the table and narrowed his glazed eyes to Marius, "What's your name?"

For the first time since they had boarded the train Marius spoke. "Marius Bishop."

"You look big, strong—what can you do?"

"Do?"

Lux Halstead reached for a piece of bread and ripped it open, "You know, special skills. Anything that can be used in the arena?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" The table rattled as Lux Halstead slammed his hands on the surface. The china in front of Pandora violently shuddered against each other. "You're going to be thrown into the arena with kids that have been training for this. Kids that have volunteered, and all you say is _nothing_?"

Marius's eyes calmly remained on Lux, "What I mean to say is, that's none of your business."

Pandora was shocked. Her lips parted in disbelief. Her eyes twitched to Lux Halstead. His face was turning a few shades scarlet and his yellow eyes were bulging. From across the train car, Catia gasped in astonishment.

"Young man—" she whispered, turning her face away from her reflection towards the table.

"Not my business?"

"You seem to be great at repeating what I say," Marius snidely responded.

"I am your mentor. I've been in the arena, in the Hunger Games. You expect to survive without my help?"

"You're a pathetic morphling and everyone in District 7 knows it."

Suddenly Lux Halstead stood up, the chair fell onto the floor with a thump. With a growl he leapt across the table and grabbed Marius by the collar of his shirt. Marius was tall but Lux was in a violent rage.

As fast as she could, Pandora ran to them and shoved Lux away, "Don't touch him!" She shouted, keeping her doe eyes on the crooked body of their mentor.

When Lux turned his face back to Marius and Pandora, his expression contorted into one of animalistic rage. His sickly eyes lingered on Pandora for a split second before she saw his hand raise. He slapped her across the face so hard that her feet stumbled back. Immediately she could taste blood.

"You son of bitch!" Marius hissed.

He tried to dart towards Lux but Pandora got in the way. Her eyes stayed on the floor for a moment before she peered up at Marius. "Get out of my way," he snarled, creasing his brow as his blue eyes twitched between Pandora and their mentor.

"It's not worth it."

"This is what we're given!" Halstead roared, "A bunch of pretty face with nothing to give besides their pathetic excuses for lives!"

She was watching Marius with caution. His eyes darkly stared at Lux, and though she couldn't see what her mentor looked like, she was sure that it wasn't far from Marius's expression. Slowly her hand rose to his chest, "Just—don't."

"Yea! Don't—what great advice!" Lux continued antagonizing, "Remember that one when District 1 is slaughtering you in the arena!"

Pandora peered around to see Catia Lawson intervening. She had walked to Lux and was patting him on the back.

"We should give them space—you should rest," she whispered, observing the nervous shakes that trembled through his body. He was craving morphine.

"I don't need help!"

He pushed Catia aside and staggered out of the dining cart.

A long silence fell throughout the train compartment. Marius's fists were still balled when he lowered himself back into his seat and suddenly began dishing food onto his plate. Though Pandora could feel her jaw and cheek burning form Lux's slap, she ignored the dull pain and returned to her seat as well. Only Catia remained standing, her long claws for nails scratched at her fine Capitol-tailored skirt as a sigh escaped her lips.

"He's just tired," She finally said, breaking the silence.

Pandora peer up at Marius, but he had his eyes on the food.

"When we arrive in the Capitol he'll be better."

They didn't respond.

Catia moved closer to the table, her blue hands rested on top of the seat, "Pandora you should really eat something. You'll need the nutrients in the coming weeks."

Pandora quietly twitched her eyes to Catia with a sullen expression before she grabbed a roll and sunk her teeth into it. It was almost passive-aggressive how she did it. Her brown eyes narrowed as she chewed on the sweet bread and arched her eyebrows. She could see Catia's apprehension, her anger that she tried to keep at bay.

"Good," She said, pouting her silver lips, "At least you have some sense."

Pandora dropped her eyes, ignoring the comment. Catia sighed in exasperation.

"Well, I should get ready for our arrival," Her departure was sudden and left a strange weight in the air.

The train was shooting through tunnels and turning around sharp bends now. The Capitol was on the horizon.

It was after a time and a few spoonfuls of food that Marius spoke.

The tone of his voice was suddenly calm and for a moment Pandora couldn't believe that it was the same boy who nearly ripped their mentor to shreds, "How is your face?"

She shyly peered at the table, her hands instinctively reached for the side of her face, "It's fine. It was only a tap."

"You should have let me defend you."

"I don't need you to."

Silence.

In agitation Marius dropped the fork and leaned back in his chair, "I can't believe you let him hit you like that."

"He's sick, he can barely walk. From the tremors he was having, it's obvious he can't live without morphine. I don't need to hurt someone like that, he's already hurt himself more than I ever could."

"He shouldn't even be our mentor. What can a morphling help us with?"

She rubbed her lips together, feeling the small split in her lip from when Lux hit her. She didn't have an answer to the question and the more she thought about an answer, the more something else ate at her. She lowered her silverware and glanced to the window, "That's not what I'd be asking."

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes remained on the mountainous scenery.

"Pandora?"

"Don't you wonder—"

"What?"

"What made him need morphine so much?" Her lips parted, "I bet before Lux Halstead was in the Hunger Games he was a happy boy with nothing to think about other then the days rations and a place to sleep. He was like you or me," She could feel knots forming in her stomach, "He's just a shell. The Capitol used him and then discarded him. All he's left with is the memories of the people he killed. Something to look forward to, I guess…if one of us makes it out alive."

She swallowed the dryness in her throat and turned back to Marius. His eyes had widened.

"Everything's going to be fine," he said after a few seconds of silence had past, even as he said the words he knew it was a lie.

A shadowy laugh blew past her lips, "No, Marius—it's not."

Static crackled from the hidden speakers: _"3 minutes to arrival." _

Darkness clouded the windows as the train sped through tunnels. In curiosity Pandora walked to the window and pressed her palms against the cool glass. She could hear her heartbeat thump. In the dark of the window she could see her reflection, clear and distinct. She stared into the eyes of her faded likeness, studying the dark circles that had formed under her eyes and slowly peering at the split in her lip. Under her feet she could feel the wheels continuously plunging along the metal rails. Minutes past before they emerged from the tunnel. Sudden light filter into the windows, causing her reflection to disappear and revealing what lay in the nook of the mountains.

A city. A city like Pandora had never seen before. Skyscrapers stretched into the clouds and lights flashed. Metal and stone monuments came closer and she found herself having to raise her head and eyes up to catch a glimpse of the tops of buildings, and even then she couldn't see where they ended.

"Have you ever seen a city so big?" Suddenly she was aware of Marius to her side.

Pandora glanced at him, seeing in his eyes the same awe that lingered in hers. "Never."

When she twitched her brown irises back to the glass, she saw the crowds that had formed. Along the track, citizens of the Capitol were waving and cheering. She saw absurd costumes, strange makeup, and outlandish hair. There were people with colors tinting their skin that Pandora had never seen before.

Above the crowd, flashes of advertisements hung along buildings. There were ads for strange drinks, perfumes, and finally for the Games.

She could feel her body cower as they past one in particular. It was showing the Tributes that had been picked from the various Districts as a recap, until finally the emblem of Panem emerged and words with firm lettering flashed across the screen:

"_Welcome to the 68__th__ Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor." _

Once more her eyes dropped to the Capitol crowd below. Her face grew grim with realization. The awe had worn off, suddenly the citizens of the Capitol looked menacing and rabid. They were cheering for death.


	4. Pinned and Mounted

_Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. If you are liking it, please leave feedback and reviews :)...it would mean worlds to me. _

* * *

_Pinned and Mounted_

The cheers echoed from the streets and filtered into the windows. They never subsided, not even for a moment. Pandora's heart violently rapped against her ribcage as she followed Catia Lawson and Lux Halstead into a cavernous tunnel. Marius was following close behind. Shadows past over her face, her head turned from left to right in the darkness. Hesitantly, her eyes lifted to the path in front of her, in the distance there was a blinding light.

"Where are we going?" She asked, her eyes wide with anxiety. Her voice echoed through the tunnel but there was no answer.

She glanced at Marius and though she could barely make out his face in the passing shadows she could see him shrug.

Noise erupted from the blinding light. Wherever they were being led, there were people. _Was it the Capitol citizens? Were they already being thrown into interviews and press junkets?_ Fear crept into Pandora. Suddenly her mind went back to her father's death, but she repressed any such thoughts, afraid to make sense of the past.

She squinted as they emerged.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room and as they did, her lips parted in surprise. To one side of the narrow room were seats and tables covered in strange instruments, brushes, and bottles, separated into stations divided by walls, and to the other side of the room was a long row of windows. Three people stood in a row near the windows but Pandora barely took notice of them. Immediately her eyes turned to what lay beyond the glass. The Capitol was having a parade for the Games. People applauded as they pointed to a large screen in a square that was going over recaps of the Reapings.

"Marius, Pandora, this is your stylist team," Catia said.

But Pandora barely heard her, she kept her eyes on the far off screen. From District 1 she saw a tall boy with golden brown hair and bright blue eyes, his build was muscular and menacing. Her dark eyes narrowed at the name on the screen: Scorch Edenthaw, he was far too excited to be picked for the Reaping. From District 6 she saw a spry looking boy, no older than 14, he looked frightened. Images flashed across the screen until finally it came to District 7's recap. Her brow furrowed as she watched herself stumble to the stage and stand in front of the rest of her classmates, friends, and fellow citizens. It was strange to see herself on a giant screen. It was strange to notice the look of dread on her own face and know that everyone else was seeing that same expression.

A sudden nudge caused her to peer at Marius. As she looked to him she noticed that all eyes had turned to her.

"Pandora—" he whispered through his teeth, nodding his head towards the stylist team.

"So sorry!" Catia exclaimed, gingerly tapping Pandora on the back, "It was a long train ride. She's tired."

Pandora could hear Lux Halstead scoff behind her. Finally she twitched her eyes between the three people in front of her. She tried to smile but instead she grimaced.

"This is Vibia, you're makeup stylist. Lucius, your hairstylist. And finally Caradoc, you're wardrobe and costume designer," Catia introduced, tapping her heels on the marble floor, "They will be responsible for your costumes and outfits throughout the pre-Game interviews and Opening Ceremony."

Pandora arched her eyebrow and pursed her lips as she studied each person in front of her. Caradoc, the wardrobe stylist, had a magenta Mohawk that was spiked up. Under his eyes was the same shade of pink eyeliner that glimmered in the stringent lights that dangled from the ceiling. He had a shrewd face and did not seem happy in the least. Lucius, the hair stylist, was different. Unlike Caradoc, Lucius was smiling and rather hefty. His stomach protruded past his belt. Pandora wasn't used to seeing someone so big, there was never enough food in District 7 to get fat or even chubby. Lucius's hair was so blonde it looked white and as it traveled closer to the tips the color darkened to blood red.

"Nice to meet you," Lucius nodded, widening a smile at Pandora, which she didn't return.

Her eyes slowly peered to the final person on the team. Vibia. She was short and frail. Although her hair was black, there was something strange about the color, almost as if it changed shades slightly depending on the light. Like Catia, her skin was blue, however a baby blue that was barely different from a stark gray. Her bone structure was what disturbed Pandora the most. Vibia's cheekbones were high, however not in a natural way. It was obvious she had been through surgery to acquire the strange bone structure that her pallid blue skin stretched over.

"Well—Pandora—say hello," Catia urged.

Pandora rubbed her lips together and barely lifted her hand in a wave before she looked away.

A few seconds past before Caradoc took two firm steps forward and cupped his hand behind his back. He arched his eyebrows and ogled his magenta-lined eyes at Pandora and then to Marius.

"Opening Ceremonies are tonight," His accent was the identifier. He was from the Capitol, "That means we have to get you two looking…" his lips curled in disdain as he reached for Pandora's jacket and rubbed it in between his fingers, "…presentable."

Nervously, Pandora dropped her head. From the corner of her eye she could see Marius's expression sour.

"I received your measurements from Catia when you were reaped, so I've adjusted the Opening Ceremony outfits to fit the measurements and standards that I think will awe and inspire the crowd."

Catia pouted her silver lips and smiled at the stylist team, "Well I think you can take it from here," Her narrowed eyes darted to Pandora and Marius in scrutiny before she took Lux Halstead's arm and led him back through the tunnel.

They were alone with the strangest looking people Pandora had ever laid eyes on in person.

Although she was sure that Marius was just as confused and worried as she was, he didn't show it. His blue eyes dully remained on Caradoc as the mohawked man paced from left to right. Caradoc carried himself like a drill sergeant.

"It's best for you both if you listen to everything we have to say and obey," Caradoc voice was firm and cold, "We know what looks good, but maybe more importantly we know what the people of the Capitol like. Win the Capitol's admiration and you have a better chance of survival in the arena."

Pandora crossed her arms. She kept her eyes on the ground, afraid to look at Caradoc's sharp face.

"However, before even beginning we need a clean palette to work on," He briskly clapped his hands, summoning a group of beauticians that emerged from a connected room. They all wore white outfits and stiff expressions.

When Caradoc walked past Pandora she felt her muscles tighten icily. His boots clamored against the floor and his hands remained cupped behind his back. He looked like a military general. Suddenly he began barking order to the beauticians, "I want them bathed and scrubbed down. Burn their clothes. We don't have any use for them. I want the girl put in a mint leaf bath with a deep cleaning mask, no more than 45 minutes. For the boy, I would like you to do the same."

Pandora fearfully twitched her eyes back at Vibia and Lucius. They were patiently waiting side by side for Caradoc to finish his run down. She wanted to escape. She peered to the windows, wondering how far she would get if she made a break for it, but before she could give any more thought to it she felt a hand wrap around her arm. She turned to see Caradoc pulling her towards one of the stations.

"You have an hour," He gruffly said, pushing Pandora towards half of the beauticians.

Marius was led to another station, out of sight from hers. Although they were in one long narrow room, the room was divided into small annexes. Without words the white clad workers drew a bath and began pulling at her jacket and dress. She allowed them to undress her, her eyes wide in shock. It was when she was down to nothing that she shivered. The coldness of the marble floor traveled from her feet to the top of her head. She would have been embarrassed by her lack of clothes but the workers didn't seem fazed by it. It was as if she was a strange scientific specimen, under scrutiny by the Capitol, and truth be told, that was how she felt since she had been reaped.

The beauticians dribble hot wax over her legs and body, ripping hairs from pores and stinging her skin. She screamed a few times, taken off guard by the pain. After all the wax torture was finished, they led her to the large bathtub. Steam rose from the water and green leaves loosely swirled in the soapy liquid. She could smell the mint. Under other circumstances the bath would have looked inviting but not now. Now it was as if she was being marinated like a piece of meat. She hesitated, but the hesitation wasn't long. The hands covered in surgical gloves aggressively pushed her into the scalding water, sending a yelp reeling from her lungs.

It was a strange sensation being submerged in the bath. The initial heat of the water combated the coolness of the mint leaves. The icy heat caused her skin to tingle, almost burn.

She had been soaking in the bath for several minutes before they began cleaning her face and hair. The chemicals and scents that wafted from the bottles and gloops of gels made her nose itch. It was after the strange concoctions had been washed from her hair and face that she heard one of the workers speak.

"What is that?" One of the beauticians exclaimed peering to something under the water.

One of her companions peered over her shoulder, narrowing his eyes before he shoved his hands into the water. Pandora jumped, her brow furrowed as she felt the beautician grab her wrist and pull it closer.

He stared at the bracelet, twitching his eyes to her face and then back to the delicate chain and charm.

"We need to take this off," he tried to wiggle it past her fingers but she threw his hand back and shook her head.

"No, please—I need to keep this on!" Her mind went back to Dash.

He frowned at her and pulled her arm further from the water. His grip was so tight around her that she winced.

"Calm down!" He shouted.

Water was splashing around. She dug her nail into his arm, fighting against his hold on her. The scream that sounded from him was deafening, but before she could jerk her arm back he slyly slipped the bracelet off her wrist and threw it on a tray nearby.

Blood was running down his forearm from the claw marks she had made.

"Filthy rat," he hissed, drawing back.

But Pandora didn't care. She kept her eyes on the bracelet, her one tether to District 7 and her family. For the rest of the bath the beauticians worked in silence, corner-eying her as if she were a rabid animal in a cage. They filed down her nails and cleaned her face and hair. She felt like she had shed her skin, like she was being stripped down to her muscles. When she was finally given a robe and asked to get out of the tub her fair skin was soft and supple.

"We need a medic at station 3. I repeat a medic at station 3," One of the workers shouted into a radio nearby, "And a peacekeeper."

Pandora pursed her lips and she peered at the man she had clawed. He was cradling his arm close to his chest and wincing. He shot her a dark glare. Blood was running down his arm and staining his white uniform.

The medics arrived almost immediately after they were called. They wore black uniforms with a red cross on one sleeve and the emblem of Panem in gold thread on the other.

"What happened?" One of them said, pulling a vial of clear liquid out of a leather bag.

"She attacked me!" He growled, "That mangy beast attacked me!"

For a moment the medics glanced at Pandora. She was standing with the robe barely wrapped around her. Water was dripping from her long dark hair and nose. Her cheeks flushed as all eyes remained on her. This was what she didn't want. It was bad enough that she had to fight to death but to cause a scene…with her family's past it would only end in terror. She fumbled with the sheer robe, shaking the image of her father lifeless body dangling from the limb of a tree.

"_What's going on here?" _

The voice was youthful but held authority in its tenor cadences. Water dripped violently on the floor as she jerked her head towards a shadow. He took two steady steps forward into the light.

It was a peacekeeper. Judging by the decorations on his uniform he was an officer, though his age didn't suggest it. He had wheat blonde hair and hazel eyes that studied Pandora. He was normal looking, like someone she would meet in District 7, but from the way he carried himself she knew he was from the Capitol.

"I intercepted a distress from this station," The boy, no older than 18 said.

"Sir," one of the female workers said, bowing, "We didn't think they'd send an officer, you could have sent someone else."

The blonde officer peered at the woman for a moment in silence before speaking: "I've been assigned to monitor the…Districts, just in case anything happened. The President is in the building and we want to make sure that nothing happens to him."

Pandora furrowed her brow at the strange pause in the officer's sentence. That match with a scrutinizing glare he gave her caused paranoia to flutter inside her.

The beautician angrily pointed at Pandora with a snarl, "That ungrateful girl attacked me."

"I didn't mean to—I—" her head shook and her lips parted, she was grappling with her robe, pulling it closer to her body.

The blonde officer tightened his lips, "Will you come with me, now?"

"But I—you don't understand he was trying to take something of mine!" Pandora shouted, cowering as the peacekeeper approached.

"I'm only going to ask you once more."

She peered up at him. His eyes were brown but a much deeper brown than hers, almost ebony. Intimidation swept over her and she dropped her head.

He escorted her to a small room that looked like it used to be an extension of the spa area. Pipes ran along the ceiling and a table rested in the middle of the room with two chairs. The smell of chlorine lingered in the air, burning her nose. She was still in a robe. The room was frigid and sterile.

"Take a seat."

She meekly walked to the chair and lowered herself in the metal seat. Through the thin fabric of the robe she could feel the coldness of the metal on her butt and thighs.

The young officer leaned on the table, he waited for her to look him in the eye before he spoke, "Don't bother moving while I'm gone. I'll lock the door behind me so it will be no use."

She jumped with a startled as the door slammed shut behind the officer. Pandora was isolated in the room for what felt like hours with nothing to stare at apart from a mirror that was implanted on the wall in front of her. Occasionally she would peer up at the reflective surface, feeling eyes on her.

Time passed slowly. Her eye twitched around the dank room, her ears perked up to the sound of dripping water. She wondered what they were going to do with her. They couldn't kill her, after all she was pretty much dead where she stood. In only two weeks she would be sent into the arena. There was only one reasonable explanation to why she had been taken into custody. From the moment she was reaped the Capitol had to have known about her family history, about her father's history.

When the door finally opened she adjusted her robe and nervously dropped her hands to her lap. Her hair was now damp. When she raised her eyes to the open doorway she saw the same officer that had led her to the room in the first place, however as she moved out of the away another shadow followed him. The shadow's footsteps were firm and brisk and when the figure finally stepped into the light her breathing hitched.

President Snow.

A ball formed in her throat. Her lips suddenly went pale and her eyes darted around tensely.

In his hand was a folder, which he peered to as he approached the table.

"Pandora Sullivan, age 17, District 7."

His hair was mostly white, though a few dark strands still lingered around his ears and forehead. A white rose was neatly poking out of the pocket of his suit jacket.

When he took a seat across from her, she could smell a sickly sweet odor.

"You've only been in the Capitol for a few hours and already you're causing problems."

She was frozen in fear. Surely this wasn't the worst that had happened. Surely she wouldn't be punished for just scratching a worker in a moment of panic. But as she looked into his pale eyes nothing was certain. They were the coldest eyes she had ever seen.

"I didn't mean to," she whispered.

"On the contrary, Miss Sullivan, I think you did."

He opened up the folder and began looking through the various pages.

"Do you know what this is, Miss Sullivan?"

She hated her name on his tongue.

"No, sir."

"It's your life," he smiled evilly as he closed the folder and stared at her, "We collect them on all the Tributes. It says all I need to know about your brothers, your sister, mother, even about your father's death."

Her eyes darkened, realization slowly eased over her. This wasn't about the incident with the beauticians at all, that was only the catalyst. No wonder the President was on the premises. He was lurking like a snake, ready to strike.

"The Hunger Games is something the people of the Capitol look forward to every year. Normally I wouldn't take the time to sit down with you over such an insignificant matter. I would have the peacekeepers deal with that, but I'm making an exception. An exception to the rule because I need these Games to run smoothly. And they can't run smoothly when seventeen year old girls act unladylike, can they?"

"No, sir," she whispered, her head was lowered but her eyes stayed glued to his.

A smile reappeared on his lips, "So polite," he cooed, "Hard to believe that you just mangled a man's arm."

"He took something of mine."

"Yes—so I was told by my friend here, Officer Adric Pedersen…Pedersen?"

Silently the young officer walked to President Snow and offered him the bracelet. Snow delicately received it, letting it dangle in between Pandora and him, "What a lovely piece of jewelry. A gift?"

"Yes, sir."

"From who?"

"My youngest brother, sir," she could feel her heart quicken.

"Dash. Age 10."

Knots formed in her stomach.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you see what I'm illustrating here, Pandora?" Snow continued, "I'm showing you that what you do here, before and during the Games, effects everyone you love. A bracelet seems insignificant when you compare it to your own livelihood."

Her eyes twitched to Adric Pedersen and then back to the President, "Are you threatening me?"

There was a pause. Snow leaned on the table, adjusting the rose near his lapel and smiling, "I merely am reminding you of what could happen if you intend on being a nuisance."

"I'm about to be murdered on public television and _you_ are reminding _me_?" She couldn't hold back the anger, her brow furrowed and her eyes dimmed.

The smile remained on Snow's face but there was a glimmer of contempt in his eyes, "You see our Officer Pedersen here, is only a few years older than you. Aren't you, Pedersen?"

"I'm 18, sir," The young officer replied, bowing his head as he stood at attention.

"And he's right here from the Capitol, but more importantly he's loyal," Snow melodically said, "Perhaps if you survive the Games we will find a place for you in the Capitol as well. For your family."

She leaned back in her chair. Until now she had forgotten that she was wearing a robe but for some reason she wasn't self-conscious, she was far too angry to be embarrassed. Only a few heartbeats passed before she blinked her eyes to Snow, "Well, it's a good thing I won't make it out of the Games alive then, isn't it?"

"Only time will tell."

Adric Pedersen adjusted his posture, from the look on his face she could tell that he was becoming uncomfortable.

"I'm afraid, sir, that some of us died the moment we were entered into the Games," Pandora didn't try to hide the smirk on her face, "Perhaps if Capitol kids were thrown into the mix, like Officer Pedersen, I'd have more incentive to win. Now that's a game I'd watch: spoiled Capitol children fighting in a wasteland for make belief glory. Something tells me they wouldn't know the first thing about survival."

President Snow narrowed his snake eyes at Pandora and cleared his throat, "You are young and foolish."

"You expect me to believe that you held me in this room because I dug my nails into a worthless beautician. You probably have millions of those."

"What are you implying?"

"It just gives you an excuse to do what you had been planning on doing in the first place."

In a mechanical fashion, Snow dusted off the shoulders of his suit jacket and sighed, "I'm sorry you feel that way, you're too young to be paranoid. What other reason would we have for bringing you here?"

"You're the one with the folder. You tell me."

She was confident but she knew she wasn't being smart. One wrong glance and Snow could have the rest of her family slaughtered, but she knew he wouldn't. After all, he already had her. She wasn't going anywhere. She would fight to the death in an arena and no one would remember her.

The smile returned to his face but his eyes dropped back to the contents of the folder, which were spread across the metal table, "You're father died several years ago."

"He was killed," She corrected, shifting her eyes to Adric Pedersen.

"Death by hanging," Snow read from a report. "Nasty way to go."

She could feel her blood boiling.

"He was executed for conspiracy against Panem and underground criminal activity," Snow whistled after reading the allegations against Pandora's father, "How old were you?"

Her hands were shaking, even her lips trembled. "I was 14."

"That's very young…isn't it Officer Pedersen?"

Her breathing hastened. Her stomach fluttered.

Pedersen uneasily twitched his eyes to Pandora before looking back to Snow, "Yes, sir, very."

"Now, Miss Sullivan, I would never accuse you of following in your father's footsteps but I have to know that you won't do anything extreme when the camera's turn on, because well—it could get messy and I'll have to clean it up. You understand this, don't you?"

She was being strong-armed into compliance. Her eyes narrowed. President Snow was probably overjoyed when he found out that one of the Sullivan's from District 7 was being thrown into the arena. If anything he planned it that way. She stared into his reptilian eyes with dismay and equal rage. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was sure everyone in the room could hear it.

"Yes, sir," she responded with a whisper.

"Lovely," Snow cheered, leaning back with a devious grin plastered to his swollen lips, "I'm so sorry to interrupt your preparation for the Opening Ceremony. Caradoc is a good friend of mine. I chose him especially for you."

She rubbed her lips together in disgust, President Snow wasn't even trying to be discreet. _No wonder_, she thought.

"Officer Pedersen, could you please escort Miss Sullivan to District 7's rooms."

"Of course, sir."

Her breath trembled as she rose to her feet and felt Adric Pedersen's grip on her arm. She was barely past Snow when he grabbed her arm, "I almost forgot," his leather gloves rubbed against her skin as he revealed the bracelet, "You wouldn't want to leave this, would you?"

She could barely muster the courage to grab the bracelet from him, "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

The door had barely opened before she heard President Snow voice once more.

"Oh and Miss Sullivan?"

Slowly she peered around, cowering her head as she locked eyes with Snow.

"May the odds be ever in your favor."


	5. Opening Ceremony

_Opening Ceremony _

The sun had set long before Pandora Sullivan was escorted to her quarters. To her side was Officer Adric Pedersen. Standing next him she felt very small. Neither looked or spoke to the other but there was a silent agreement that if she didn't follow and comply there would be trouble. Occasionally her eyes would drop to the gun that rested near his hip. It wasn't like the ones the peacekeepers carried back in District 7, it was an officer's gun. The elevator suddenly jolted to a stop and the doors efficiently slid open.

She could hear Adric Pedersen's boots thump against the corridor floor as they headed doors a large set of doors. When they had finally reached the end, Pandora forcefully hugged her robe tighter around her and peered at her distorted reflection in the two silver doorknobs.

"You're stylist team should be inside waiting for you," Adric whispered, bowing his head a little, "Have a good Opening Ceremony, Miss Sullivan."

She twitched her amber eyes up to the officer's face and parted her lips.

"You're from District 7, correct?"

Her brow furrowed, "Yes."

"Well—" his dark eyes scanned her face and a smirk formed on his lips, for the first time he actually looked as young as he was, "I'll be rooting for you."

She stared after him, dumfounded, her eyes didn't turn back to the doors until he had disappeared into the elevator. She was still trying to come to terms with the interrogation and meeting she had with President Snow. When she closed her eyes she could see his cold snake eyes peering at her and smell a sickly sweet aroma that made her gag.

Hesitantly she reached for one of the doorknobs. The door gave way instantly with a creak. As she walked into what looked like a foyer she heard voices echoing. A wall of windows was in front of her. It was dark out and the lights of the Capitol twinkled. In the distance she could see flashes of fireworks going off, a pre-opening ceremony tradition.

Her bare feet quietly pattered against the marble floor, down a few steps and around a corner. She was following the warm glow of a light and when she finally meandered into a large living space she stopped. Caradoc, Vibia, and Lucius were bickering amongst themselves. They all looked angry and unaware that Pandora had arrived.

"The Opening Ceremony starts in an hour, Caradoc!" Vibia exclaimed, "Where is she?"

Pandora hugged the side of the wall, clearing her throat and lowering her eyes. Slowly the stylist team turned around.

"Where have you been?" Lucius squawked.

Pandora's eyes shifted from face to face, lingering on Caradoc's, "There was an incident."

"I've already been informed," Caradoc coldly replied, cupping his hands behind his back, "Sit down so we can get to work."

She dropped her eyes once more, walking slowly to the cushioned chair in the middle of the room. Around her, palettes of colors and containers of serums waited.

"Don't let the time rush your process," Caradoc steadily said to Vibia and Lucius, "We want her looking good for all of the Capitol to see. I'll be back shortly with the Ceremony Dress."

"Wait!" She called after him, grimacing as she felt the stylist pull at her hair. Caradoc turned around and widened his eyes, "Where's Marius?"

A strange smile grew on Caradoc's lips, "Worry about yourself, Miss Sullivan, not your friend."

And with that he left.

In silence, Vibia and Lucius worked on Pandora's face and hair. Occasionally they would exchange carefree exclamation or smirking glances, which caused her to feel uneasy about what they were doing to her. She could feel Lucius putting something onto a few strands of hair near her ears and neck, and wondered what he was doing. The smell was so strong it burnt the hair off her nose. Several minutes past before Lucius spoke to Pandora:

"Alright, we need to washing this out, come with me."

"Wash what out?"

"Nevermind that, follow me."

Pandora was led to the bathroom, she never caught a glimpse of herself because Lucius didn't allow it but as she stuck her head into the bathtub and felt the warm water rinse her head, she noticed that the water was greenish.

Her hair was drenched by the time she took a seat in the middle of the room. In concern she peered to Lucius.

"How are you going to get this done in time?" She inquired, furrowing her brow, "It's not like you can magically dry my hair."

"She worries so much," Vibia cooed as he mixed various shades of eye shadow onto one of his palettes.

"Actually, my dear," Lucius grabbed a strangely shaped instrument from off the table and held it to Pandora's hair, "That's exactly what he can do."

Lucius turned the device on. The sound was so loud she couldn't hear anything besides white noise. Only a few minutes elapsed before her hair was not only completely dry, but silky and straight.

With arched eyebrows Vibia moved in front of her and tilted her head up, "Don't move."

She watched a brush come for her, then several brushes, then liners and sponges. She could feel Vibia painting her face, not knowing what she was going to look like in the end. Her mind wandered to the past Hunger Games, where the Tributes looked like clowns. All signs were pointing to her looking like a sideshow freak. Although she could feel Lucius doing something with her hair she had no idea what.

It wasn't until Caradoc entered the room that they set down their tools and palettes, and stopped. Nervously, Pandora raised her eyes to him and parted her lips, feeling the stickiness of a gloss that Vibia had coated on them.

Caradoc tilted his head and nodded, "Very nice. Keep her hair down."

"Yes, Caradoc," Lucius muttered, combing his finger's through Pandora's hair and brushing it back into it's normal place. The long locks of hair fell onto Pandora's chest. In curiosity Pandora lowered her eyes. She still had her dark chestnut hair but Lucius had dyed random strands of the hair emerald green, it was nothing drastic from what Pandora could tell, but it was still strange to see.

"Well who would have thought," Caradoc said, motioning for Pandora to get up and follow him, "I have your outfit in here."

Pandora gave Vibia and Lucius a stoic glare before wandering into the other room where her outfit waited.

She paused at the doorway when she saw it. It was beautiful. A strapless gown stood before her, made up of fabric that looked like leaves pieced together. At the top the hue of the leaves was dark and emerald green and as it moved closer to the floor the leaves dissipated, revealing a black silk fabric. The effect of the dress reminded Pandora of leaves falling in autumn from the trees. It seemed to shimmer as she moved closer to Caradoc.

"Let's get you into this, we only have a few minutes until we're supposed to be downstairs."

She took off her robe, trying to ignore the flush on her cheeks from embarrassment as Caradoc helped her into the dress. It was tight around the bodice and hips, causing her breath to hitch when she was fastened into it.

A squeaking noise murmured from the other room and as she turned to look she saw that Vibia and Lucius were wheeling in a large mirror.

Pandora's eyes widened in astonishment at her reflection, the dress fit her frame perfectly. Gold and bronze eye shadow coated her eyes with a splash of green in the corner, bringing out the warm amber color of her eyes, her lips were nude and her fair cheeks had been given a moderate amount of blush to them. Her hair was all down and parted to the side, it was wavy and had whispers of green strands in it that could be seen when she moved her head around.

"You look so beautiful," Vibia giggled, hugging the side of the mirror as she stared.

Pandora lowered her eyes and rubbed her lips together.

"Modesty, will get you no where," Caradoc remarked, "Confidence."

It was the most encouraging thing he had said since they met.

"You were asking where Marius was?" He continued.

Pandora shifted her eyes to him and nodded, "Yes."

"He's waiting in the chariot annex, we would go down but there are a few last minute touch ups that we need to do here. I suggest you leave now."

Pandora only paused for a moment before slipping her shoes on and shuffling towards the elevator. It was the first time she had worn heels and ever so often she would stumble and have to catch her balance, but after a few minutes she caught the hang of it. Her thin heels cling against the metal floor as she entered the elevator and pressed the appropriate button.

When the elevator reached the sublevel floors and finally opened she gasped. Chariots were waiting in a row. She saw Tributes everywhere, preparing for the Opening Ceremony. Though she couldn't see the crowd she could hear them. The thunderous applause clamored into the large annex.

Above each chariot was a sign indicating the District, her eyes moved to the number seven before she started towards her station. Initially Marius was just a shadow but as she approached him she noticed his well-polished suit with the same leaf and tree motif as her dress. His dark hair was the same as it always was, but along his eye, a thin shimmer of green and gold sparkled.

"Pandora—" he smiled, scanning her up and down, "I didn't think you were going to be here—"

"What?" She furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What I mean is, I saw that peacekeeper escorting you somewhere—I was worried."

His words sounded so truthful it was hard for Pandora not to believe.

"What happened?"

She thought of the words she exchanged with President Snow, she thought of the folder he had read from and the threats he so carefully delivered to her, "It was nothing—just a misunderstanding."

"_There they are! My Tributes!" _

Pandora grimaced instantly. Catia Lawson's shrewd voice was like a needle in her ear. Behind Catia was Lux Halstead, who looked as dazed as he had on the train, though he seemed more compliant than before. _He must have gotten a hold of some morphine, _Pandora quickly thought.

The horn suddenly sounded.

"Oh! There is it, you two get on your chariot!"

Marius calmly stepped onto the mechanism but Pandora froze.

"Pandora—" Catia sneered, nudging her forcefully, "Get up there."

Pandora stared at Marius and then to the chariot. District 1 was leaving the annex, the crowd was going crazy. It wasn't until Marius turned around and peered down at Pandora that she took his hand and maneuvered herself onto the unstable floor of the chariot.

"You okay there?" He whispered.

Pandora blinked her eyes to the exit into the procession ring, District 4 was now going, "I—" she could feel her heart beating against her chest, "I'm scared."

Marius turned his face away but his hand still held hers, "Don't worry, kid. Let's just give them a few smiles and waves and be done with this."

District 5 was going, she felt like she was going to have a heart attack.

"They doll us up and show us off to all of Panem just to kill us," Pandora whispered, swallowing hard, "What are we supposed to do with that?"

Marius's grip on Pandora's hand tightened but his other hand reached for the reigns, "Smile, Pandora."

"For death?"

He peered to her slowly, "For your family."

Suddenly the chariot jolted forward, but despite the suddenness, Pandora kept her eyes on Marius for a few heartbeats. It was what she needed to be reminded of. She was letting her own fears get in the way of the bigger picture. She needed to pretend for her family. She would die, that much she knew, but she wasn't going to shame her family and punish them along the way.

Slips of light flashed above them as they rolled towards the procession ring. They were just to the exit when she strained her lips into a smile. A voice bellowed from an anonymous source.

"_District 7!" _

Music echoed as they emerged into the light of the ring. The applause was deafening. She was scared but she hid it all, her smile grew and her hand raised in a wave as she kept her other hand wrapped under Marius's. Screaming and chanting faces flashed all around the moving chariot but it wasn't until the end that Pandora recognized someone. He was on the edge of audience and though most of the crowd was sitting he stood up and clapped. He wore an officer's uniform and a smile on his face. Adric Pedersen. She tried to hide her shock as he bowed to her and continued his clapping. When the chariot moved past him she wanted to look back but decided it was best to keep her eyes forward. Earlier in the day he had her locked up and interrogated and now the young officer was standing for her. Capitol citizens rarely ever cheered for the outlying Districts, and for some reason Adric Pedersen was. Pushing the officer's strange behavior away from her thoughts, Pandora peered up to the ornate balcony as the chariot stopped. President Snow was standing like a nobleman. His cold eyes peered down as the Tributes moved into a row.

"These are the Tributes for the 68th Hunger Games!" He announced. "Welcome and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

The crowd cheered and chanted in response to President Snow's brief words. Discreetly, Pandora peered over her shoulder, to the edge of the audience. Adric Pedersen was still staring at her. She parted her lips and kept her eyes on him. His wheat blonde hair was brushed to the side and his smile confidently remained on her face. _What was he doing?_

With a great jolt the chariot suddenly began moving causing a gasp to shudder from her lungs. They were moving back to the annex. Her head whipped around in surprise, her hand wrapped around the bar of the chariot. But it wasn't until they were out of sight of the audience that she dropped her smile. When the chariot stopped she wasted no time in jumping off.

"Pandora! Wait up!"

Marius called after her but she didn't stop. She darted through the crowd of mentors, Tributes, and stylists in panic. For an instant she looked back to see if Marius was still following her, but she was so concerned with who was following her that she hadn't noticed the person in front of her. She collided into him and staggered back.

"Are you okay!" She heard a youthful voice ask.

She was trying to keep her balance but the heels she was wearing were throwing her off. Her foot staggered once more until she fell forward into him.

"Woah!" A laugh erupted from him as he helped her get her balance and stand up, "Where are you running to?"

For the first time she peered up at him, instantly she froze. He was a young man, around her age, with bronzed skin, auburn hair and sea green eyes. She had never seen the color of his eyes before.

"I was—"

He arched his eyebrow, waiting for a response.

In embarrassment she closed her eyes and shook her head, "Sorry, I was just trying to get away from the crowd."

"Ah. I think I know what you mean."

She studied what he wore. He wasn't a Tribute, though he seemed to be the right age for one.

"Pandora!" Marius was to her side, "What kind of stunt was that? Catia is furious."

Pandora simply shrugged, peering to the auburn young man for a moment.

Marius followed her eye line and widened his eyes, "Oh—hello."

"District 7, right?" The young man inquired, pointing to Marius and then to Pandora, "You guys looked nice out there."

"Thank you," Marius blurted out, grabbing Pandora's arm and pulling her towards the elevators. Pandora wondered why Marius seemed so speechless and shell shocked around the strange man. It wasn't until they were alone in the elevator that he spoke again.

"How the hell did you run into him?"

"It just happened, why are you so worked up?" Pandora crossed her arms in annoyance and peered up at the changing numbers.

"Don't you know who that was?"

"Am I supposed to?"

Marius scoffed and turned to Pandora, "He won the 65th Games. He was only 14, that makes him one of the youngest champions in Hunger Games history. _That was Finnick Odair_."


	6. The Agreement

_The Agreement_

_It's raining. It always is in this dream. She's traveling to where she's been told not go, by her mother and by August. But she doesn't care, she needs to see it for herself. Everything is gray and cloaked in shadows. The thunderous roar of rain surrounds her as she trudges through the mud and puddles. No one is out, no one would be after an execution. Her hair sticks to her face and neck as she breaks into a run. _

_A sprint. _

_She can feel winter in her bones. _

_She knows what's coming when she turns the corner. She know what face she'll see, because it is the face that haunts her every night. _

_Even in her dream she tries to prepare herself for the gruesome sight, but there is no preparation in the world for what she is about to lay her eyes on. _

_She turns the corner. _

_For a moment she can't feel her heart beating, she can't taste winter on her lips, or hear the rain. All these senses are overshadowed by what she is seeing. _

_His body is gray and limp, hanging from the limb of tree by a noose. He's been dangling there for several days, to show any other rebels what waits for them when they are caught. _

_But her father is dead, she knows this, even in her dreams. This is a nightmare warped by her memories. _

_Her lips part in horror as the head slowly moves. He's alive in death. His sunken eyes darkly glimmer in the dull light. _

"_My little Pan." _

_His voice is raw from the noose, it sounds like a monster's. _

"_You have to save them." _

_The horrific face of her lifeless father causes her to fall to her knees. _

"_You hear me?!" _

_His teeth look menacing, everything about the man dangling from the tree branch is not how her father used to be. He is a villain. Even when he smiles it's morbidly disconcerting. _

"_You save them before you save yourself, you selfish little girl!"_

Her eyes flashed open.

She could hear her breath trembling.

The scream that instantly wretched from Pandora's lungs echoed throughout the cavernous room. For a moment she peered around the darkness in fear. Beads of sweat had formed on her brow. Her fists were tightly balled.

"It was just a dream," She whispered to herself, but her body didn't react to what she was saying. Instead her muscles went rigid.

As if a sudden wave of panic swept over her, she tossed her silky covers off her body and hunched onto the ground. She felt like she was going to throw up or cry. Luckily it was the latter. Tears streamed down her face as she clawed at the ground. She was so overcome with agony that she didn't notice the shadow in the doorway.

"What's going on?"

Her head jerked up like a wild animal as she violently wiped away the tears and climbed to her feet. It was Lux Halstead.

"What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

Lux Halstead lazily slumped himself against the door frame and crossed his skeletal arms, "Sorry to tell you, Sullivan," she could hear the hinges creak as he fully pushed open the door, "It's morning—but from the looks of it, it seems like good news for you."

Her amber eyes squinted in response to the sunshine that blasted into the room. She held her hand stretched out to block the light from her eyes. Her eyes and cheeks were red from crying.

"Training starts today."

"Since when do you care about our training?" Pandora retorted, grabbing a robe and throwing it around her, "Or does the morphine make you a better mentor?"

She glared at him as she tried to wiggle by but Lux quickly pursed his lips and grabbed her around the neck.

"Listen to me, Sullivan, I'm your mentor because I've won one of these bloody games and you haven't. Maybe when you come back from the arena a champion you can talk."

Pandora bared her teeth in anger, "Is that suppose to make me respect you?"

Halstead stared at her for a moment. She couldn't tell if he was going to bash her head in or yell. To her surprise he did neither. Slowly he let go of her throat and adjusted his shirt.

"At least you have fight in you."

Pandora narrowed her eyes. Her finger softly rubbed her neck as a cough shudder past her lips.

"I've made an agreement to help you and Marius train, properly."

"I thought you made that agreement when we were reaped?" She hissed, pushing him away so she could get by. It was bright in the main area, but not in the least comforting.

"Well, let's just say this agreement was far more persuasive."

Two glasses were waiting on a table nearby, one was empty and the other still had a strange blue tonic inside. Marius must have gotten up before her.

"Drink it, I had an Avox send it up. It's supposed to be good for muscles."

Pandora eyed the tonic with an edge of bitterness before she snatched it and chugged the liquid as quick as possible.

"Now—I've already been over this with Marius. I will take on the roll as you mentor. While I am doing so, I will refrain from certain…recreational activities."

Pandora watched him in annoyance as he paced from left to right.

"Marius has filled me in on the skills that he could use in the arena, already. So what about you?"

She parted her lips and dropped her eyes in defiance, "I don't have any."

She could tell when she looked up at Halstead that he was angry. His face had turned purple, just as it had on the train. This gave her a little satisfaction.

"You—" he took in a few breaths, slowly, "You must have some. You're father was a carpenter, was he not?"

The mentioning of her father caused her to peer away, "How do you know that?"

"I was informed of it."

"By who?" it came out like a growl.

"It's not important."

She clenched her jaw and shook her head, "Even if he was, how would that be useful for me!?"

"Sullivan, why don't you sit and eat something."

Her eyes turned to the table where various dishes waited, "I'm not hungry."

"If you're going to train, you need to eat."

She made a point not to look at him as she lowered herself into a seat and grabbed a roll and jar of jam. He was being strangely cordial, not like the Lux Halstead she had met on the train going to the Capitol.

"If your father was a carpenter that means you know how to use tools, maybe even do some carving of your own."

"You want me to whittle my way out of the arena?" she sarcastically quipped, shoving a wad of bread in her mouth.

"One of the most overlooked skills in the arena is resourcefulness. You have something the Careers don't."

"Oh yea?"

"See, they're going to be heading towards the cornucopia once the countdown sounds, where all the weapons and supplies are, but you can make your own."

"You're assuming that the arena will take place in a wooded area—a little idiotic don't you think?"

"Maybe," he placed his hand on the table, she could see his fingers twitching. He was already having tremors from coming off the morphine, "But you should never overlook these important skills. So. What else can you do?"

She darted her eyes around the table in thought. Honestly, she couldn't think of much. She thought of the hunting trips she would go on, about being in the woods of District 7. None of the skills seemed adequate or useful.

"Well?!"

"I can set traps. And—" she bit her lip as she thought about her skill with a knife, "I'm not bad with a knife, if I could get the upper hand somehow."

Halstead tilted his head up, "Now that is interesting. You hunt, is what you're saying?"

"On certain occasions I have hunted, but never alone. Only with my brothers and the biggest game we ever caught was a deer, not a human being."

"They aren't that different," Halstead replied, crossing his arms.

Pandora curled her lip in disgust. The idea that a human being was like a wild animal was sickening to her. After a few heartbeats she collected herself and shoved a spoonful of food into her mouth. "Yea, except deer don't fight back."

"So if you hunt, you must know plants and herbs well?"

She shrugged, "Only the things that grow in District 7."

"Hmm—get dressed and walk with me."

She put on her training outfit. A simple pair of black pants with a green top, when she emerged he beckoned her towards the doors. They were heading towards the elevators now.

"Here's what I want you to do when you go into the training room. I want you to go over you're knowledge of plants and berries—many Tributes have died by their own hand because they didn't know the difference between nightlock and blueberries. And then practice your knife skills, but discreetly. You don't want your competitors to see everything you can do. Not even Marius."

The last sentence caused her eyes to widened. It was true, Marius wasn't on her side. He would be fighting for himself.

As soon as Halstead pressed the button the elevator doors opened up. Quietly, Pandora walked inside.

"Training is on level 9," he said.

She peered up at him and watched as he curled his boney hand around the elevator and pressed the button for her. The doors were starting to close when she pushed them back.

"What are you doing?!"

She parted her lips, she knew she wasn't supposed to ask but she couldn't help herself, "You said you're doing this, being our mentor because you made an agreement with someone. Who?"

"That's none of your business."

She could feel her heart racing.

"Who? I deserve to know why you've had this change of heart."

The doors tried to close again but she pushed them open.

Halstead dropped his eyes. For the first time since she had met her mentor, she saw shame written all over his face, "President Snow."

"What?!"

When he looked at her again he pursed his lips, "You should get to training."

"But—why would he want you to help Marius and I?!"

Halstead wiggled his skeletal shoulders as he peered from left to right, "I don't think it has to do with Marius at all."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that for some reason, President Snow has placed particular investment in you."

Pandora's expression contorted into a look of horror, "He hates me, he threatened me! He would never want to help me live."

He looked at her with sadness. "Pandora," it was the first time he had used her first name and it was the first time he seemed human, "There are worse things than death. Whatever you think goes on here, I promise you it's far eviler."

She twitched her eyes around.

"Tread lightly, Sullivan."

This time when the door started to close she didn't try to stop them. Her blurred reflection stared back at her from the metal doors. She felt the elevator descend suddenly. By the time she reached the training room her face had gone pale. Her eyes peered around the corridor in fear and paranoia. She had never been to a Hunger Game before, maybe this was normal, but the squirming feeling in her stomach told her otherwise. It was her gut telling her to run, and in any other situation that was what she would do. But not now.

Her eyes lowered to the silver bracelet that Dash had given her. The delicate tree dandled from the chain and glimmered at her.

She was heading closer to the training room and as she approached it, voices heightened. It was obvious to her when she entered the hall that she was late. Everyone had already started working out and practicing. Her eyes peered around the room, even Marius was occupying himself at the climbing station. He was a quick climber.

She stood in place for a moment, observing various Tributes. Her competition. Scorch Edenthaw, from District 1, was throwing iron weights and discs. He peered at her for a moment and snickered before hurling one of the discs past a few other Tributes and into the wall. The thin disc sliced the wall like butter. On the ropes, next to Marius, was another Tribute she recognized from the Opening Ceremony: Nova. She was a blonde haired, blue eyed sixteen-year old from District 2. She wasn't as fast a climber as Marius but Pandora knew from the look on Nova's face that the girl meant business.

Slowly, Pandora lifted her eyes to the Gamemaker's box, a small balconied alcove where the Gamemakers could view the Tributes. Even from far away she could make out the blue curls of, Head Gamemaker, Artorius Flemming's head. It was his eighth year as Head Gamemaker.

"You're just going to stand there District 7?!" Scorch jeered at her as he stretched his muscles and smiled, "Only look good on a chariot, huh?!"

Pandora peered from the Gamemaker's box, down to Scorch and stared.

"You got any fight in you?!"

She remained silent, though she noticed that several of the Tributes had turned to look.

"Pfft. I bet you can't even lift a feather."

She stared at him and began walking. Her eyes didn't leave his until she had reached the plant and herb identification station, even then they lingered defiantly on him. When she finally turned her attention to the screen she heard someone whisper to her.

"He's a scavenger."

Pandora peered up to see a small girl with paint all over her face. She had auburn hair and light eyes. She was no older than 13.

"Who is?" Pandora asked after a moment, despite the kindness in the girl's voice Pandora's was cold and detached.

"Scorch Edenthaw, he thinks he's going to win."

"All the Careers do," Pandora shrugged, looking back at the screen to study genetically mutated plants.

"You looked pretty last night."

Pandora laughed in confusion, furrowing her brow at the little girl as she shifted her weight to one leg and continued flipping through the pictures and descriptions with a tap of her finger.

"I like the green wisps of hair they dyed."

"Thanks."

"It reminds me of the ocean, but more emerald."

From the comment, Pandora immediately knew where the girl was from. District 4. Her eyes lowered to what she could see of her hair. The emerald whispers of green still discreetly poked out from her natural chestnut hue.

The girl was nice but Pandora couldn't bring herself to look her in the eyes. After all, this was a fight to the death, and there was no way a scrawny girl like that would make it. If she looked into the girl's eyes all she would see is death.

"Don't you have training to do?"

But the girl stood in place, "I am training, can't you tell—" she pointed to her painted face, "Camouflage."

The laugh that erupted from the little girl was innocent, a laugh that reminded Pandora of Dash. It was hard for her not to smile but she held back the urge.

"Clever," Pandora quipped, arching her eyebrow as she tapped on the screen and scanned a list of herbs.

"My name's Wisty," the girl extended her tiny hand to Pandora and nodded.

Suddenly, Pandora felt panic. Her brown eyes hesitantly glanced between Wisty's hand and her face, "Pandora."

"That's a beautiful name."

"Is it?"

Another giggle murmured from Wisty, "Mhm."

"How old are you?"

"13."

Pandora felt her heart drop. So young.

"Why are you talking to me? For all you know I'd kill you the first chance I got when we get in the arena."

"No. I don't think you would."

She shifted her eyes to Wisty's face, "Really?"

"I can tell."

Pandora dropped her eyes and sighed. She was annoyed, not because she didn't like the girl but because the girl was perfectly nice. She clenched her jaw, "Well. Sorry to disappoint you, kid—" she angrily responded, "But I'm not into babysitting."

She couldn't look at Wisty's face. She knew that it would only make her feel guilty. She was being cruel to a little girl, but it was only way that Pandora knew how to push her away. She didn't want to feel responsibility for someone who would die within minutes of being in the arena. She didn't want to mourn the lose of another person, not again.

Suddenly, a high pitched whistle pierced Pandora's ears. It was Scorch.

"Well, well, well. District 7 has a bite to her."

With shyness and embarrassment Wisty crept away with her head hung low, leaving Scorch and Pandora alone.

"Don't you have some discs to throw?"

He formed a smirk on his mouth and nudged Pandora over a little bit, "I'm a little bored with that," he tapped the screen, "I think I could use a bit of studying."

Her eyes widened in rage but she remembered the rules and more importantly President Snow, "You mean you can read?"

He chuckled. "Better be careful, once were in the arena you're not going to be so talkative."

"Take your own advice," she hissed, nudging him and tapping the screen back to the page she was looking at.

"Is something the matter?" Marius was suddenly to Pandora's side. His blue eyes gravely peered at Scorch.

"Oh we were just getting acquainted," Scorch laughed, "But you know, I think I'll actually train instead of reading useless facts."

He brushed Pandora's side with his body as he walked away. Her lips tightened in bottled anger.

They stood in silence for a few heartbeats. She kept her eyes on the screen, hoping that Marius would just leave. But he didn't.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I don't need you protecting me."

Marius scoffed, "I wasn't protecting you."

"Right, well, just because you're my brother's friend doesn't mean you're mine."

His eyes narrowed into slits of offence, "My mistake."

"Now can you leave, you're distracting me."

When she peered up, she noticed that tears had started to form in his eyes. The sight confused her. It wasn't as if Marius was sensitive. In fact, it was the opposite. All throughout their adolescence he was apathetic. Even on the train ride to the Capitol he showed no signs of being upset, but at the mentioning of her brother he looked pitiful. Before she could take it back he turned around and walked off, leaving Pandora stunned. The idea that she had made an eighteen year-old young man almost cry was something that she was not prepared for.

All she wanted was to be left alone. She didn't want allies in the arena because she knew it was pointless. She would die where hundreds of children had died before. And her death would be nothing more than a small loss to the country of Panem. She didn't need friends or solace. She needed the facts. Pandora bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment before returning them to the screen in determination. There was no hope of escape.

_Tread lightly_, Lux Halstead had said. A piece of advice Pandora Sullivan was starting to take to heart.


	7. Cut Into Pieces

_Cut into Pieces_

Grey light spilled in from the wall of glass. Like two statues Pandora and Marius sat side by side. They hadn't spoken since the first day of training, Pandora couldn't bear to look into his eyes and see the flash of hurt she had seen before. Nothing was happy any more. Not even when it was pretend. To Pandora everything was dark. Food tasted like ash, water and drinks like mud. Even the air she breathed seemed foul.

Since she heard her name called back in District 7, it was as if she were dying little by little. Each day she faded, each day she prayed that she would wake up and it would all be a nightmare. But the sun always rose and the terror continued.

Her deep brown eyes gazed out of the windows. In the distance the crowd cheered. They cheered so loud she could feel the thunder of their voices beneath her feet, the feel of which brought her back to the Opening Ceremony, where she was paraded around like a piece of meat.

"_District 5, female tribute." _

An anonymous voice calmly called from hidden speakers.

Anxiously, Pandora twitched her eyes down the row to see a tall girl rise to her feet and march towards the doors.

It was the day they were judged and scored. With only a few days to the arena they needed to be marked. Lux Halstead had made it abundantly clear that Marius and Pandora were to train as hard as they could so that when the time came and they stood in front of the Gamemakers, they would be awarded a high score.

Pandora stared solemnly at the shadow of the District 5 girl. She found herself assessing every one of the Tributes. It was a habit she had taken up that disturbed her. She had been watching each one for their weaknesses and strengths, calculating how long she could last in the arena before she was slaughter like a wild animal.

They all sat in a row in a corridor. Slowly the Tributes went in and disappeared. There were only 7 full districts left. If it weren't for the high wall of glass on one side the corridor would have felt tiny. Occasionally the clouds would part outside and bright light would filter in through the windows, blinding them.

As the minutes dragged on, Pandora found herself becoming more and more nervous. It wasn't long before it was District 7's turn.

"_District 7, Male." _

Her mouth became dry. She felt Marius shift in his seat for a moment before standing up. She didn't dare look up at his face. Instead she looked at his hand. It was balled into a fist. He was just as nervous as she was. Her breathing deepened as she heard his shoes patter against the floor and the creak of the doors open. She worked up the courage to look down the corridor just as the training room's doors closed with a baritone slam.

Slowly she lowered her eyes to the bracelet. It glistened in the light. The metal was cool as she caressed the fragile tree charm. At that moment she wondered where her brothers were at this moment. She imagined them out in the forest, hunting for their baby sister and mother. And after the sun had started to set they would travel back home, maybe race. Unknowingly a smile had formed on her lips as she allowed herself the fantasy. They would catch two or three rabbits with the traps Dash had set, and maybe even a deer. And her family would eat well and be happy.

"Hello, Miss Sullivan."

Suddenly she snapped out of the daydream and peered up at the owner of the voice. Her smile disappeared into tightened lips. Adric Pedersen walked by and as he did he smirked at her and titled his hat in a gesture of courtesy.

Pandora didn't reply, but her eyes remained on him. After a few heartbeats he lowered his hand and turned his face away, marching towards the doors.

Her brow furrowed in confusion just as the chime of the speakers sounded.

"_District 7, Female." _

Her breathing hitched and her hands became sweaty. She peered down the row at the remaining Tributes before rising to her feet and walking towards the doors. Though the giant doors had knobs, they didn't need to be touched, once she was within two feet of them they opened automatically.

Unlike the light in the corridor, the training room light was generic and sterile. She saw Marius being escorted through the exit as she reached the center of the room. Her brown eyes lifted to the Gamemaker's box. There were several officials, among them Artorius Flemming.

Her lips parted for a moment before she bowed her head and fixed her gaze on a shadow nearby. Adric Pedersen was casually standing near a set of silver doors. _What was he doing here?_

"Pandora Sullivan," She announced as she straightened her back and started towards the trapping section. She was just about to lift some twine when a crackly voice interrupted her actions.

"_Not so fast." _

Her jaw clenched as she spun around and arched her eyebrow.

She could hear the heavy footsteps echo throughout the room, but it wasn't until he came into the light that she realized they belonged to Artorius.

"A demonstration of your abilities is not necessary."

She was silent.

"We know all that we need to know about you, District 7."

Her eyes widened and dropped to Adric Pedersen, "I—I haven't done anything wrong though. I deserve a fair judging."

"It isn't necessary," Artorius' Capitol accent was thick. His blue animated curls shook as he spoke.

She dropped the twine that was still in between her fingers in shock and twitched her eyes between the Gamemaker's box and Adric Pedersen, "But—"

"I'll ask you to come with me now, Miss Sullivan," Adric suddenly said, taking a few steps forward.

She lifted her eyes to Artorius and fearfully shook her head, "No."

His ebony eyes studied her face for moment before he tilted his head up, in the light his blonde hair looked like electric wheat, "Please don't make me force you."

She lowered her eyes to his gun and rubbed her lips together.

When he grabbed her shoulder she closed her eyes tightly, letting him drag her towards the silver doors. When they passed through them she heard District 8's male being called into the training room and peered over her shoulder in confusion.

"Sorry about that," Adric whispered, smiling devilishly as he nodded to the elevator, "But you have an appointment."

She glanced at him and then ahead to see an elevator at the end of the hall, "Appointment?"

He let go of her shoulder and pressed the button, efficiently the doors slid open, "Yes. An appointment."

Hesitantly she stepped into the small chamber. She had prepared for everything but not for this.

"What about my scores?"

"Your scores have been taken care of."

In disbelief she parted her lips and peered up at Adric, he was tall. "What does that mean?"

"You ask a lot of questions. It's annoying."

Though the comment sounded harsh at first, there was an overwhelming sense of humor in his tone that softened it.

As the elevator ascended, she jumped. They were going higher than she had ever been. On the regular elevators, which all the Tributes had been taking, the floors only went up to 19, but this lift passed the highest number and jolted to a stop at the mysterious 20th level.

Just before the doors glided open a melody tolled from above and a machine-like voice sang out: _"Welcome, President Coriolanus Snow."_

"What?" She whispered, with a tremble in her voice.

Her eyes flashed to Adric just as the doors opened to reveal an opulent hallway.

He gestured for her to go first but she was frozen in place.

"Ladies first," he said after a brief time.

Again, she remained still.

He pursed his lips and arched his eyebrows, "Miss Sullivan, I think it's time you moved."

"Why am I here?"

He lowered his eyes, "It's not my place to say. I wouldn't be able to tell you even if I did know."

"You said I had an appointment, with who? I need to see my mentor, right now!"

"Calm down, Miss Sullivan."

She took a few steps back and bit her lip.

"Everything is fine. Now—please, let's move."

She could feel her muscles resisting when she stepped forward. Caution and awareness swept over her. Even when she walked in front of Adric, she crooked her head back to make sure that nothing devious was going on.

"We're heading towards the last door…you see it?"

She kept her head lowered but her eyes anxiously peered up. A black door waited at the end of the hall. She could feel her hands shaking.

"Don't be scared," Adric whispered, but it didn't comfort her.

Her eyes began to burn with the coming of tears, but she held them back.

"Knock first."

Pandora turned her face towards Adric before lifting her hands meekly. She gave the door one firm rap. From beyond the door she heard voices.

Only seconds past before it opened.

Her eyes widened in surprise and her body tensed.

"Ah! Miss Sullivan, how lovely. Right on time."

President Snow cupped his hands in front of him.

"Come in. Pedersen you can wait out there."

"Yes, sir."

She blinked her eyes to the floor and sauntered into the room. It was just like the corridor they had walked through: ornate. One side of the room was a wall of windows that let in the brightest light, the rest were covered with red and gold wallpaper. There was a desk, with a single white rose in a crystal vase, several chairs, and a fireplace. Her heart stopped when her eyes reached the fireplace. Near the mantel was a young man. She recognized him immediately.

President Snow smiled, "Please, Miss Sullivan, sit."

But she didn't listen.

Snow peered at the young man and then at Pandora, "Ah. How rude of me. Pandora Sullivan this is Finnick Odair."

Finnick twitched his eyes to Pandora instantly, "We've met. Nice to see you again."

He extended his hand. It took Pandora a moment to consider her manners.

"Yes we have," she whispered. His eyes looked greener than she had remembered.

"Mr. Odair was just leaving."

"But—"

"Finnick, Finnick, Finnick," Snow cooed as he glided over to him and firmly placed his hand on his shoulder, "You have Tributes to mentor do you not? Why don't you do that, and later on we can discuss these thorny problems?"

Pandora could see Finnick cringe as Snow touched him. He swallowed hard before nodding his head and peering at Pandora, "Yes, I should be going."

"Yes," Snow agreed, "You should be."

Without giving Pandora another look, Finnick walked past her and shut the door, leaving President Snow and Pandora alone.

"Tea?" Snow offered, sipping from his cup gingerly as he lowered his body into a plush chair.

Her brown eyes remained on the closed door for a moment before she turned her attention back to the President and corner-eyed him, "No."

"Are you sure? It's quite delicious."

She clenched her jaw, "I thought there were only 19 levels to this building."

He peered up at her from beyond the curls of steam wafting from his cup, "For normal people there are."

"I was taken out of my training."

"Pandora, dear, sit."

She grimaced at his use of the word _dear_. He had no right to call her that. Not after all the hell she had been through, all the threats.

"I like to stand."

"I said sit!"

She jumped, nervously crossing her arms before she walked to a seat and uncomfortably sat on the edge.

"That's better," he smiled. His tone had become eerily sweet once more.

Her eyes drifted to the fire.

"Don't worry about your score, Miss Sullivan. I've taken care of it."

"Why?"

He licked his lips as he lowered his teacup and shrugged, "Didn't you're parents ever teach you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"No. They didn't."

"You're tense. What do you think I'm going to do to you, dear?"

There it was again, the word that made her wince.

"What was Finnick Odair doing here?"

"An attractive young man, isn't he?"

Her brow furrowed, "I never thought about it."

"No?" He smiled maniacally, "I suppose you have bigger things to worry about."

"I thought I was a nuisance," She hissed, "You're treating me like an actual human being…and you wonder why I ask why?"

"I think we started out on the wrong foot."

Pandora gave him no response.

Silently he reached for a folder on the coffee table and slid it towards her, "You can take a look at that."

Her eyes shot daggers at him but her hand curiously reached for the folder. When she opened it up she scanned the pages before her voice broke through her dry lips, "What is this?"

"A contract."

Her eyes looked up at him in astonishment, "What?"

"It's a contract."

"Why did you want me to look at it?"

He paused, dabbing his lips with a handkerchief before speaking, "Because the contract is for you."

Her lips parted in confusion.

"In it, it states that I will make sure no harm comes to your family. That they will be given as much food and shelter as they want. None of your siblings will be thrown into the Hunger Games, and you will be protected from death."

"What do you mean death?"

"You will win the games."

"That's an empty promise. One you can't make come true."

Snow leaned back into his chair and sighed, "You doubt me?"

"Yes. And I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't. Not yet."

"Not ever," the rawness of her own voice surprised her.

"All you have to do is sign the contract and everything will be taken care of, including your family. They won't have to live in hunger and pain any more."

Pandora caressed the thick pages, "What's the catch?"

"Clever girl."

Her eyes narrowed at his condescending tone, "So, what is it?"

"The catch is that after you do the Victor's Tour you will never see them again. You will become property of the Capitol. And you will live here."

It took all the restraint inside her to hold back a gasp of horror.

"Why would I agree to such a thing? What makes you think that I chose that over my death? I already know you had a talk with Lux Halstead. I could expose you to Panem if I wanted to, then they'd no the dirty business you're in."

"Because, dear, if you chose death, you condemn your family to the same fate. And let's be honest, even if you did try to expose me no one would believe you and if they did it wouldn't matter."

Her hands began to tremble again, "No. You can't do that. You can't kill my family."

"I can. And I will."

"You're taking away my freedom of choice."

"Freedom of choice is a myth, Pandora. You should know this. Look at it this way, if you sign the contract everyone wins."

"And I become property? Never to see my family again?!"

"A small price to pay for the health of one's family, wouldn't you say?"

She stared at the black print in front of her as if it were her enemy. Flashes of memories flickered through her mind. Dash laughing. August smiling. Her mother and baby sister playing by the fire. Then there were the other, darker memories that screamed their way through. Scorch's sadistic expression. Images of dead children lying in the arena.

"Tick tock, Pandora."

She cupped her hand to her forehead, feeling her heartbeat in the temples of her head.

"All you have to do is sign, and I'll make all the troubles go away."

Pandora didn't try to cloak the groan of agony that simmered out of her lungs. If she agreed she would never forgive herself. She wake every morning with the burden of her own sins on her chest. But if she didn't sign, her family would die. _A small price to pay_. She repeated Snow's words over and over inside her head until she clenched her jaw in mourning.

"God forgive me," she whispered under her breath just before she lifted her moist eyes and grabbed the heavy pen from the table. Her heart ached as she signed on the dotted line. She was making a deal with the devil himself.

"Ah! Wise choice, my dear!"

Pandora could feel the blood drain out of her cheeks. She felt sick, like their was a parasite growing inside her. Another moan expelled from her as she dropped the pen and felt tears rolled down her cheeks. She turned her face away, her lips trembled.

"Oh," Snow knelt by her side and placed his hand on her knee, "There, there. Everything will be fine."

Her cheeks were flushed. She shook her head. The tears came faster, "Don't touch me."

Pandora felt suffocated and helpless.

"I want to go back to my quarters—right now."

"As you wish," He cooed, standing up and adjusting the rose in his lapel, "You're free to leave."

She violently wiped the tears away and walked towards the door, throwing it open. She didn't wait for Adric's approval before walking to the elevators.

They descended the stories of the building. Adric peered at her in confusion, noticing the tears stream down her face. Without thinking he lifted his hand to her back and gently stroked her fragile shoulders, "Whatever happened, you'll get through this."

Through teary eyes she stared at him and gasped for air, "No, I won't."

That night, when the marks were announced, Pandora Sullivan was awarded a score of 10. A perfect score. A score that had been rigged. Her mentor and beauticians cheered, popping open a bottle of cider, but she could barely hear them. Her eyes slowly turned to the windows. She was living for history.


	8. The Seconds Drag

_The Seconds Drag_

Pandora hadn't slept a wink since she had signed her life away to the Capitol and President Snow. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Snow's snake-like expression boring into her soul. Though people surrounded her, she felt detached. None of it mattered. It would all end and when it did she would just be pawn in a much bigger game. Pandora wondered why the President had pulled her out of the crowd of Tributes. Why her? She wasn't special or strong. She was just a girl from District 7.

"Tonight is the final interviews. You've already impressed the people of the Capitol with your scores but now is the time to show them your personality."

She heard Lux Halstead but she kept her eyes on her plate of food.

"Where is Marius? He's supposed to be here," Catia clucked with a soprano edge.

Halstead scratched his neck in a frenzy. "He already knows—I've been coaching him alone."

"But there are things we need to get settled before tonight."

For the first time since they had sat down at lunch, Pandora lifted her eyes. She parted her lips, "He doesn't want to be in the same room as me."

"Why not?"

"I was rude."

"Imagine that," Halstead whispered, tearing into a piece of meat with his knife before he shoved it into his mouth. His snide comment didn't seem to affect Pandora, however. In reply she lowered her eyes and nibbled on a piece of bread.

"Well—never mind that. But you better put on a smile tonight. The last thing we need is an incident," Catia hissed, peering at her reflection in a spoon.

A glimmer of dark amusement ignited in Pandora. It wouldn't matter if she showed up to the interviews stark naked or shot Caesar Flickerman, either way she was going to be put into the arena. President Snow had promised her she would win, a promise that seemed impossible to comprehend. Even if he meant it, there was no clear way to make it happen.

She shivered at the thought of the arena. Tomorrow was the day. An abrupt restlessness made her muscles tense. Suddenly she hatefully peered up at Catia.

"I don't need to be lectured," she harshly spat out, furrowing her brow, "If I have to hear you yammer on any more I think I'll kill myself."

Halstead dropped his fork in shock, Catia gasped.

"Young lady—how dare y—"

Suddenly Pandora stood up and threw her napkin on the table, "There's only a few hours left. I need to get ready."

She turned around and walked towards her room without giving Catia Lawson another look. Once alone, she meandered towards the window and perched herself on the ledge. The sunlight warmed her as she pressed her arm against the glass. It was only a few moments before the door open. She didn't turn to look. Her eyes stoically remained on the buildings outside.

"What was that about?"

"Go away."

Halstead's yellow eyes bulged in aggravation but instead of raising his voice he shut the door and took a few steps forward.

Pandora grinded her teeth and corner eyed him. "I said go away."

"You're in no position to give me orders."

"Caradoc will be here in a little bit, he won't want you here distracting me."

"Well, it's a good thing Caradoc isn't here yet, then," Halstead was calm, eerily so, "What's going on? Are you nervous about the interviews? Really all you do is smile and pretend to en—"

"I'm not nervous and I don't need tips."

Abrupt silence filled the room.

"This is about the scores."

Pandora smirked darkly and rolled her eyes, "No. I got a 10, why would I be worried about that?"

"Because you weren't actually judged."

Shock swept over Pandora, she twitched her eyes to her mentor and pulled her knees to her chest.

"You're surprised that I know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, glaring at him obstinately.

"Pandora, I'm sorry that this is happening to you."

Her eyes grimly narrowed, "No you aren't, you pathetic morphling."

She watched as his hands ball into fists, his face turned red.

"Oh c'mon, you want to hit me?" she antagonized, "Just do it. See if you're man enough."

She could hear his breathe quiver in rage, which was gratification enough for Pandora.

After a moment he cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together, "I'm not going to hit you."

She sighed, turning her face back to the window, "Well aren't you a do-gooder."

"You're angry. That's good. Maybe you can channel some of that anger into winning."

She didn't reply.

"I came here to tell you that whatever problems you're having with Marius, you should solve them before you two get into the arena."

"Why!? So I can have an ally? I don't need anyone."

"No. So that when this all ends, you know that deep down you did everything you could to be a good person."

Her lips parted. She glanced at Halstead with bewilderment.

"Believe me, Pandora, whatever favor you think you're doing for him, it's not worth it in the end. I would know."

He started walking towards the door.

Her hands dropped to her side, "Wait!"

His feet stopped moving but his back stayed turned away from Pandora, "Yes?"

"Why me? You've already made it clear you know about the deal, about the contract. But why me? I'm just a girl."

For a second it seemed like he wasn't going to answer. Like he was a statue. But after a brief time he peered over his shoulder and dropped his eyes, "Because Pandora, you aren't just a girl—you're a candidate."

Her brow furrowed, "What do you mean candidate?"

Halstead closed his eyes and moved his lips soundless. He was trying to find the right words to explain himself. When he opened them back up Pandora was standing up, her eyes were anxious and expectant. But before he could work up the courage to reply the door swung open and Caradoc stood in the doorway.

His eyes glimmered from Lux Halstead to Pandora. Their faces read with surprise, "Sorry—did I interrupt something?"

Halstead scratched his neck nervously and darted past him, "Not all," he mumbled, leaving the room with clumsy feet.

Pandora wanted to run after him but she remained in place, though she couldn't hide the anxiety she was feeling, "I need to talk to him about something."

She tried to walk past Caradoc but before she could he grabbed her arm and held her back, "You can talk to your mentor later. Right now, we need to make you presentable."

"But—"

"I didn't realize you were running this show now."

"Caradoc, I'm sorry, it's just—" she licked her lips and peered at the open door, "It's important."

"You know what's important?" His eyebrows arched, "Impressing the crowd. So go in there and shower."

He pushed her towards the showers, shooing her inside with a pretentious gaze. Almost instantly after she had shut the door noise echoed into the bathroom. Vibia and Lucius were in her bedroom setting up while chattering. Pandora grimaced in frustration, peeling off her clothes mechanically and turning the knob of the shower so that it was as hot as it could be. She ducked under the water, gasping as it soaked her hair and skin. It was like she was suffocating slowly.

_Candidate. Candidate. _

She repeated the word over and over again, not understanding the meaning behind it. Lux Halstead was a crazed morphling, not a viable source for anything, but something told Pandora that he knew what he was talking about. She ground her teeth in rage as she pressed her palms against the wall and bowed her head.

"You should've been out a few minutes ago!" Caradoc shouted through the door.

She grimly peered through the fogged glass and deepened her breath before punching the wall. She was sick of the games, but it seemed that she was being swallowed up in them. There was nothing she could do now but smile and pretend.

Harshly she clenched her jaw and turned the water off. She barely dried herself off before walking back into her bedroom. Vibia had set up her makeup palettes and Lucius his serums and brushes.

"You look like a drowned rat," Lucius remarked, jumping when he turned to look at her.

"Where's Caradoc?"

"He went to get your interview outfit."

Pandora narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms with discomfort.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Vibia inquired, motioning to a chair in the center of the room, "Why don't you take a seat?"

She hesitated for a moment before she took a few steps forward and lowered herself into the leather beautician chair.

"Don't worry," Lucius sung, "We'll make you look beautiful."

"Not that she needs any help," Vibia added.

"Of course not."

Pandora rolled her eyes and straightened her back, "You don't need to compliment me."

"We saw that you got a 10 for the scoring, that's impressive, we didn't think you had it in you," Vibia discreetly smiled as she started to mix colors around.

"Can we just get this over with?"

Lucius peered at his companion before lowering his eyes, "Someone's snappy tonight—"

Vibia smiled again, "Very."

She tightened her lips as she felt Lucius work his way through her damp hair. He dried it quickly, using the strange device he had utilized before. Her eyes lowered to section of hair that she could see, the emerald streaks were still vibrantly present.

Just as Lucius started pulling her hair up, Vibia came at Pandora will a brush. They worked spastically for a little less than an hour, occasionally taking a step back to look at the work they had done. When they had finally finished they smiled at each other and nodded, "Now, no looking into the mirror until you have your dress on."

She glared at them tiredly, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Right on cue, Caradoc returned. He whistled at Pandora as he threw a pair of underwear and the dress at her, "Put them on, we're running late."

She widened her eyes as she struggled to catch everything, but after a moment of surprise past she uncomfortably discarded her towel and wiggled into her undergarments and dress. Occasionally her eyes would twitch to her design team in self-consciousness, but once she had fastened the last button of her dress she extended her arms and shrugged.

Caradoc scanned her up and down and narrowed his eyes in speculation, "Good—now put these on."

The heels were tall and silver. She struggled to step into them and once she did she frowned.

Lucius had pulled her hair in a high ponytail, leaving strands of her hair loosely down to frame her face. Her fair skin looked like porcelain. Vibia had painted her eyes with a coppery shimmer that brought out the amber tinge of her irises and a nude gloss was painted on her lips. The dress Caradoc had designed for her was short, the hem ended at the middle of her thigh. It was one shoulder and looked like it was made up of thousands of emeralds that shimmered against the light.

"Are you ready?" Caradoc inquired, "Your mentor has briefed you on what you're supposed to do?"

Pandora dropped her eyes to Dash's bracelet and nodded, "Yes, of course."

"Then you should head down there. Marius will be waiting for you. Don't bother waiting for your mentor. Got it?"

She lifted her eyes to Caradoc and rubbed her lips together. She wondered if Caradoc was privy to the agreement that she had made with President Snow. He was, after all, one of his spies.

"Got it?!" he repeated, motioning towards the door.

Instead of replying she stumbled past them. Lowering her eyes as she entered the living area and opened the door to the main corridor. The walk to the elevators took longer than expected because of the heels, but once she was inside she pressed the button for the appropriate floor and waited. Efficiently the doors slid shut and descended the building.

When the doors opened she waited for a heartbeat before walking forward. The loose strands of her hair blew around her head, she was getting closer to the open air interview stage. A few days ago the idea of standing in front of a crowd televised live all over Panem would have made her nervous but not anymore. She had more concerning things on her mind.

She traveled through a maze of small hallways, not stopping until she reached the antechamber where all the Tributes were waiting. She studied the faces, frowning when she noticed Scorch was staring at her.

He whistled to her as she walked past him, "Nice dress, 7."

She ignored him, heading straight for her District's station and trying to seem untouched by Scorch's obscene behavior.

Marius was already waiting there. He wore a green tie with a black suit and shirt. When she stood next to him he took a few steps away.

She could hear her heart beating, remembering what Halstead had said to her. With all that had been happening she hadn't even thought about Marius. If she won that meant that Marius would die. Her brother's best friend would die. She swallowed hard, fidgeting with her fingers before she worked up the nerve to look up at him.

"Marius," his name felt foreign on her tongue.

At first it was as if he was going to ignore her but then his eyes peered at her. He arched his eyebrow in silent reserve.

"I saw you did well on your score. 8—that's impressive."

He looked away, "I guess. Nothing compared to a 10."

A nervous laugh trembled her lips, "I'm sorry."

"About what?"

She parted her lips and shook her head, without realizing it her hand was on his shoulder, "I didn't mean to be so harsh—I can't stand this—not talking to you feels unnatural. We've grown up together."

He raised his eyes and pursed his lips, "I was trying to help you."

She dropped her hand, "I know."

"And I don't know what's been going on with you this past week but—you're August's sister," he seemed to catch himself, "And I'm not going to stop helping you."

Suddenly he looked into her eyes and she knew he meant what he was saying. He was so genuine and kind and she had been so terrible.

"_10 seconds to interviews."_

"I'm so sorry, Marius, for everything," she whispered.

Slowly, he put his hands in his pockets, "Water under the bridge, Pan."

"_5 seconds to interviews." _

Her heart jumped, that was what her family had called her. She hadn't heard the nickname in, what felt like, forever.

"Everyone line up!" Someone with a clipboard shouted, pushing Tributes into line.

Before Marius turned around he gave Pandora a smile. For a moment she smiled back, but when he turned around the smile dropped. Inside she felt a sunken sorrow.

"Alright, everyone go!"

The line started moving, they were being ushered onto the stage.

Within seconds Pandora was being blinded by the bright lights of the stage. She had taken her seat just before Caesar Flickerman jumped to his feet and beamed a cheesy smile at the crowd and the camera.

"Welcome to the interviews of the 68th Hunger Games!"

The crowd roared in excitement.

Off stage she could see the line of mentors waiting. Her eyes caught sight of Catia Lawson, who pointed to her lips as if to remind Pandora to smile. What Pandora wanted to do was tear across the stage and rip Catia's head off but instead she drew her lips up and blinked her eyes. She was becoming good at pretending.

The interviews started instantly and the crowd absorbed every word that was being said. Scorch recited a warrior speech about how he knew he was going to win these Games. The crowd loved it. Wisty, from District 4, charmed the crowd with her wide eyes and giggling. Even the lanky boy from District 6 seemed to make an impression on the audience.

It wasn't long before it was District 7's turn.

"And now from District 7, Pandora Sullivan!"

She felt her heart stop beating for a few seconds, but she remembered to smile. Calmly, Pandora stood up, finding her footing before stepping across the stage and shaking hands with Caesar Fickerman. He was animated, a detail that made Pandora increasingly uncomfortable.

"My, my, my, what a beauty!" He shouted, spinning Pandora around before offering her a seat.

"Thank you," Her eyes twitched to the sky when she heard her voice echo throughout the square.

She tried to seem natural as she took a seat and crossed her legs. It was hard to feel any inkling of normalcy when she was being studied like an amoeba under a microscope.

"So, Pandora, may I call you Pandora?"

She gave her best smile and adjusted her mini dress, "Of course, Caesar, I can call you Caesar can't I?"

She was surprised when the crowd erupted with a harmony of laughter. Even Caesar Flickerman chuckled.

"What a lovely dress, you look divine. Doesn't she look beautiful?" Caesar asked the crowd. They responded with cheers and whistles.

"Thank you, my designers spent a lot of time working on me."

"Well, it's been quite a journey hasn't it? How does it feel to be thrust into the Hunger Games?"

Pandora paused, swallowing the dryness in her throat. She knew how she really felt, but she also knew she couldn't say it, not without destroying her family in the process. Her brown eyes peered to the crowd, "Well, it's been hard to take in. But—I'm happy to be a part of such a challenge."

"You enjoy proving yourself?"

She cupped her hands around her knee and smiled, "Who doesn't? I think it's something that needs to happen to us at least once in our lives."

It was then that she caught sight of Adric Pedersen near the edge of the crowd. He was wearing his uniform. He was smiling at her.

"You were awarded a score of 10—"

The crowd interrupted Caesar with chanting and shouts.

"As you can see it's caused quite a stir."

Pandora slowly dropped her eyes from Adric's face, turning her attention back to Caesar, "Well, it was equally stirring for me, Caesar."

"What can we expect from you in the arena?"

She tilted her head, "All I can say is, expect the unexpected."

"Oohhh!" Caesar cooed in excitement.

Pandora laughed, raising her eyebrows mischievously as she winked at the camera. On the outside she was charming and sweet but inside she felt terrified.

"You're a firecracker, I can tell."

Pandora simply smiled in response.

"Well, Pandora Sullivan, we hope to see more surprising things from you."

He cupped his hands around Pandora's and pointed to her, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Pandora Sullivan, District 7!"

She gave her best fake smile, waving as she did so. By the time she had returned to her seat the crowd was still giving her applause and her face hurt from the strained smiles. Marius was up next but when Caesar called him to the interview chairs she lifted her eyes towards the antechamber. From her vantage point she could see, off stage, between the curtains that flickered in the evening breeze a young man.

Finnick Odair was standing, out of sight of the audience. He was staring at Pandora. She clenched her jaw in shock, lifting her hand to her neck self-consciously. She couldn't figure out why he was staring at her. The day she had seen him in President Snow's office he looked sad and nervous, but now he seemed more confident, though the sadness still remained.

As the interviews continued he remained in place. Though he didn't stare at Pandora the entire time he would occasionally look at her. It wasn't until the end that she came back to reality.

"Your Tributes for the 68th Hunger Games!" Caesar called in closing, letting the crowd chant in gaiety.

All Tributes stood up and as they walked off stage they smiled and waved, giving the public one last impression before the Games began.

When she disappeared behind the curtains she sighed in relief, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Good job," Marius said, kindly, as he walked past her, towards the exit.

"Thanks," she shrugged, letting her smile drop.

He quickly walked through the doorway, probably trying to return to their apartment before the other Tributes filled up the elevators.

She was just about to follow when someone got in her way. At first all she could see was a white tie but as she lifted her eyes to a face she grimaced.

"Get out of my way, Scorch."

He smirked, scanning her up and down, "Oh so you know my name? Pandora."

She crossed her arms and peered around, "You're in my way still."

"Right, because you're so tough."

The room was starting to clear out, most of the Tributes and mentors had left except for a few, but not Halstead. Pandora had a feeling he was trying to avoid her.

"That was a nice interview you gave. If I didn't know any better I would have thought you enjoyed it."

"You're pathetic."

Scorch took a step forward, smiling evilly, "I can't wait to get you on your back in the arena, 7."

"What does that mean?"

The smile on his face widened as he lowered his eyes to her legs, "That dress does some favors for you, doesn't it?"

He extended his fingers to the fabric of her dress but she quickly swatted his hand away and took a step back, "Don't touch me."

"Relax."

She clenched her jaw with ire, trying to walk around Scorch only to be stopped by him, "What's your problem?!"

She was about to shove him when he grabbed her wrists and laughed, "Don't you know you're not supposed to hit other Tributes till the arena?"

"_What's going on here?" _

Pandora suddenly turned her face to the owner of the voice. Finnick was looking between Scorch and Pandora in concern. Almost instantly Scorch let go of Pandora's wrists.

"Nothing, "he casually replied, "Just having a friendly conversation."

"Doesn't look too friendly to me."

Pandora stepped backwards and rubbed her wrists.

"Why don't you mind your own business?"

With confidence Finnick laughed and walked towards Scorch, "Walk away."

They stared long and hard at each other. For a moment Pandora thought Scorch was going to punch Finnick but after a brief pause he backed away.

"Whatever," he scoffed, darting past Finnick.

Pandora licked her lips and blinked her eyes in astonishment.

"I had it under control."

"I doubt that."

Her eyes twitched to his face, it was true, she was relieved that he had stepped in. "Thanks."

"No problem. Are you walking to elevator?"

Her brow furrowed, "I guess."

"I'll walk with you."

"You don't need to do that—it's really okay—"

"It's no trouble."

They started walking. At first they were silent. They were the last to leave and as a result the maze of corridors were vacant. It wasn't until they reached the elevators that Pandora spoke.

"How old are you?"

Finnick turned to her in surprise.

"I—I know it seems strange to ask. But I was just wondering, you seem too young to be a mentor."

"I'm seventeen," he quickly replied.

"That's young."

"You have no idea."

Suddenly a melody tolled and the elevator doors slid open. She walked into the small chamber, nervously cupping her hands as he walked next to her and pressed the button.

She waited for the doors to close to speak again.

"Why were you talking to President Snow?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Finnick lied, dropping his eyes to the floor.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, I don't know why you're pretending."

Finnick glanced at her and sadly tightened his lips, "I think you know exactly why I'm pretending."

She felt paranoid and sudden fear, "Do you know why _I _met with Snow?"

He smiled at her and shook his head, "No. And I don't want to."

The elevator started to ascend.

Silence. The kind you could cut with a knife.

In shame she looked away.

"Does it get better?" she finally managed to find her lips again.

"Does what get better?"

"After you win and you become a champion, does it get easier?"

Finnick was silent for a long time, it wasn't until the doors opened up to her floor that he spoke, "No. It never does and never will."

She furrowed her brow and stepped into the hallway, "You don't look so terrible. Not like my mentor, he's a—well—he's a wreck most of the time."

He lifted his green eyes to her, "We shouldn't be discussing this, it's not right."

Pandora blinked her eyes from left to right, "No one's around. It's not like we're breaking the law."

"Don't be naïve."

Her expression contorted into one of anger, but she tried to repress it, unsure of how to take anything Finnick Odair was saying.

"Thanks—for the help down there."

He adjusted his hands and shrugged, "Don't mention it, Pandora."

She was surprised he used her first name.

"Maybe I'll see you around."

A dark laugh trembled past his lips, "Good luck. For your sake I hope you lose."

Her smile dropped and her eyes widened. Before she could reply the doors closed, leaving her alone and confused. Finnick Odair, one of the youngest champions in Hunger Games history, had just wished death on her. The strangest part was that it was wrapped in condolence. Pandora tried to push the strange encounter to the back of her mind. She began walking, feeling the dread permeated her bones. Tomorrow was the arena. Tomorrow was the beginning of the end.

When she arrived back at District 7's apartment everyone had turned in, but something felt wrong. Her eyes drifted through the darkness as she struggled to take off her heels. She was cautiously moving through the dark when she noticed a light on in her bedroom. She clenched her jaw, her body remained stoic for a moment before she quietly walked forward. She was expecting to see Lux Halstead or maybe even Marius, but who she saw when she walked through the doorway surprised her.

His dark eyes peered up to her with a twinkle, "You're back, take a seat."

She pursed her lips and lingered in the doorway, her eyes narrowed at Adric Pedersen, "What are you doing in here?"

In his hands was a small duffle, which he placed on the table and began rummaging through, "Please sit down, and close the door."

She didn't respond.

"I'm not going to hurt you, just shut the door."

"Why?"

"Because what I'm about to do is a secret."

Pandora furrowed her brow and lowered her eyes to the duffle, "What's in there?"

He sighed tiredly and arched his eyebrows, "Door, now please."

She scoffed angrily, shutting the door behind her as she peered around the room, "How did you get in?"

"I had a key."

"Why?"

Adric smiled, "Because I just do."

A strand of his electric blonde hair fell onto his forehead as he nodded to a chair nearby. Suspiciously she meandered to the chair, lowering herself in it rigidly.

"If this is a secret then why are we doing this here? My mentor and Marius are only a few rooms away. They could know what's going on."

"_You_ don't even know what's going on."

Her lips curled.

"But to answer your question, they are fast asleep. I had the Avox slip a sedative to all of them."

Her eyes widened, "What?"

"President Snow's orders."

Her hands began trembling, her eyes moved to the bag, "What are you going to do to me?"

Adric took a seat across the table from her and pulled out two syringes from the bag, along with two vials, one was empty and another one was filled with a opaque pearly liquid.

Her heart began beating uncontrollably fast.

"Relax, I just need to take your blood. The needle is sterile, I know what I'm doing," he beckoned for her arm.

"Do I have a choice?"

The young officer smiled youthfully and shrugged, "No, I'm sorry."

She could see her fingers shake as she extended her arm across the table. When he touched her it felt cold.

"This is going to sting."

She winced as he pierced her skin and drew blood into the syringe. It was over after a few seconds. Pandora observed him as he transferred her blood into the empty vial.

"What's the second needle for?"

Adric peered across the table at her, "I've been told to give you a dose of this serum. For the arena." He held up the pearly liquid to the light.

Pandora studied it, "What will it do to me?"

"Make you stronger, in a way."

Her lips parted, so this was one of Snow's strategies to keep her alive: inject her with lab created solutions.

"And what if I don't want it?"

He prepared the syringe, punching it through the stopper of the vial and pulling the liquid into the syringe's cavity, "I could always lie and tell the President I gave it to you, but I don't think you want that."

"You don't know what I want."

Adric looked at her and shrugged, "True. But let me explain something to you, the first few days in the arena you will be fatigued, you're petite which means you have no hope of facing other Tributes head on. I've been watching you during your training sessions, you're fast and good with traps and knife but that will only get you so far. You'll need this if you want to live."

"Who says I want to live?"

He leaned back in his chair, "Please just give me your arm, Pandora."

"Don't call me that."

"It's your name."

She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes, "Why do you need my blood?"

"I don't know."

"What does that mean?"

"Precisely what it sounds like. I'm not told everything."

"So you just blindly follow orders, then?!"

He sighed, arching his eyebrows with a smile, "Yes."

"Then you're a fool," She spat out, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I am. So are you going to give me your arm or not?"

She wanted to leap across the table and claw at his face but instead she slowly extended her arm. It was still red from her blood being drawn. Adric gently dabbed rubbing alcohol onto her fair skin and brushed his thumb over the area before placing the needle close to the skin, "You don't have any reason to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

He sunk the needle into her skin and began slowly injecting the serum, "You're lying."

"What do you know about fear?"

He was half way through. The serum was thick and as it went into her veins it burned terribly.

"I know enough about fear, Pandora."

"Lux Halstead said I was a candidate, he said that's why President Snow has taken an interest in me."

She watched as Adric licked his lips and smirked, "Your mentor thinks he knows a lot."

"Is it true? Is that why—"

"Stop asking me questions."

He pulled the needle out and quickly placed a bandage on her arm.

"I have a right to know why this is happening to me. What happened to you? You're barely older than me and you act like this is normal!"

"Lower your voice, please."

She was on the brink of tears, violently she drew her arm back and rubbed her lips together.

He didn't look at her as he packed everything up in the bag and latched it shut. He was just to her bedroom door when he stopped and turned around.

"Look—I'm sorry."

"You're not," she hissed back.

Slowly he looked at her, "I am. I don't know anything—I wish this wasn't happening to you—but—I'm sorry."

His voice was raw and sincere. When Pandora twitched her eyes to him she didn't see a guard of Panem but a young man.

"You did well tonight. I'll be rooting for you, Pandora."

She only stared at him, speechless.

After he shut the door she could hear his footsteps march through the living room and out the entrance. Breathlessly she rose to her feet and walked to the mirror, hanging in her bathroom. She stared at her reflection for sometime, she stared at it until it seemed like she was gazing at a strange. The person in the reflection frightened her.


	9. City of Ruins

_City of Ruins _

That morning Pandora was up before the sun. She sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed. She wore leather boots, which her black pants had carefully been tucked into. A long sleeved, olive green sweater covered the black t-shirt that clung to her body. Her hair was pinned into a loose bun. It was the outfit Caradoc had assigned as her arena ensemble. She lowered her eyes to the sweater, wherever she was going it would be cold.

Sadly her eyes twitched to the windows, the sun was rising. It would only be a few more moment before Lux Halstead would knock on her door, but she didn't move. Instead she watched the sunrise, trying to enjoy it. Something told her this was the last time she would be able to enjoy a thing as simple as the sun. The rays of sunlight started to filter through the glass. They traveled along the plush carpet of her room, rising to her feet, then to her ankles. It wasn't long before she was covered in sunlight. Slowly, Pandora closed her eyes and drew a calm breathe in. She tried to fantasize that she was on the hillside, the one that they would climb up after a long morning of hunting. The hill that you could see all the buildings of District 7 from. She imagined that her brothers were beside her. They hadn't caught anything but it didn't matter, they were happy just to be by each other. Her hands rested on her thighs, the warmth of sunlight heated her cheeks. She fantasized about the smell of District 7, the rich pines laced the wind with sweetness.

"Pandora—"

Her eyes flashed open suddenly. The fantasy was gone, she was back in the Capitol. Her head jerked towards the door just as it opened. Halstead poked his head in. He stopped short for a moment, his eyes widened.

"You're up."

Her gaze lingered on him for only a short time before she turned her attention back to the windows of her bedroom, "I couldn't sleep."

"It will only be an hour now."

"I know."

She could hear him swallow and scratch at his neck but she kept her eyes on the window.

"Breakfast is here."

He disappeared behind the door. Pandora waited a few moments before rising to her feet. When she started walking it felt unnatural, like she wasn't really in her body. She could smell the food from the doorway of the main living area. Marius was already up. He had just put food into his mouth when she approached the table and adjusted her sweater.

Her hands grabbed for a roll and a jar of jam while she peered at Marius. He nodded to her, silently, in reply.

"Where's Catia?"

Halstead cleared his throat apprehensively, "She doesn't like goodbyes."

Pandora dropped her eyes, she hadn't thought of Catia as the sentimental type.

The rest of the breakfast was spent in silence. No one dared to utter another word, nor wanted to. Occasionally they would look at each other, their lips would move as if they were about to say something, but then the lips would pull into a frown, their brows would crease.

"Alright, it's time."

Pandora dabbed her napkin over her mouth and blinked her eyes away. She knew Marius was looking at her but she didn't look back, instead she climbed to her feet and steadied her breath.

Lux Halstead led them to the basement of the building and through a maze of tunnels. It felt like they had walked a long while before they stopped. Two guards beckoned from them to come forward, one had a device in his hand.

"What are they going to do?"

"Don't worry, it's just a chip—a tracking chip."

Without hesitation Marius extended his arm, letting one of the guards inject the chip. Pandora sadly followed Marius actions, but when the guard pulled up the sleeve of her sweater she winced. The place where Adric had drawn blood and given her the serum was bruised.

"What happened to you?" Marius asked suddenly.

Pandora silently shook her head, furrowing her brow at the guard, "Are you going to do it or just stand there?"

The guard scrunched his face in annoyance, harshly shooting the tracker into her arm without warning. She bit her lip in pain, pulling her sleeve down and corner-eyeing both guards before stepping back.

"Pandora—what was wrong with your arm?

Slowly she lifted her eyes to Marius and shrugged, "I'm just clumsy," she lied.

He stared at in speculation before looking away and pursing his lips. It was obvious he didn't believe her but Pandora didn't care. She was beyond worrying about Marius' suspicions.

"This is as far as I go," Halstead abruptly stammered taking the attention off of Pandora, which she was glad for. His glossy eyes peered at the door, "You just walk through there. You'll be separated. Caradoc will show you the way."

"Then what?"

Pandora twitched her eyes in surprise to Marius, suddenly he was so eager.

"Then you wait."

She was the first to move. Her hand grasped the handle of the door. With a firm tug it creaked. She let the heavy door glide open. Her back straightened as a shadow came into view. Caradoc took one step forward and cupped his hands together.

"Pandora, you're first. Follow me," his eyes shifted to Marius, "You wait here."

Pandora peered over her shoulder at Marius. He was smiling at her.

"See you on the other side, Pan."

Her lips tightened, her eyes studied his face.

"Bye," she whispered faintly, uneasy to look away from him. But as Caradoc pulled her into the corridor she averted her gaze.

The door closed behind them as they began walking. Her eyes spastically looked around. It smelt like a basement. They passed by several doors before they came to one marked 7F in bold white print.

The same long creak sang from the hinges as Caradoc opened the door and escorted Pandora inside.

She hesitated for a moment. Inside the room there was nothing but a pedestal and a table with a water pitcher and glass resting on it.

"I thought I was going into the arena?"

Caradoc laughed as he threw a jacket at her, "You are. Step on the pedestal and put this on."

Her eyes dropped to the jacket. A sweater and a jacket, wherever they were going it would be very cold.

She wrestled into the jacket and mechanically climbed onto the pedestal, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"Water—please—I would like water."

He rolled his eyes in annoyance, pouring her a glass. She chugged it, not knowing how long it would be until her next taste of water.

"Don't step off the pedestal until the countdown is over, or you'll be blown to pieces."

She widened her eyes in terror, wiggling her toes inside her boots.

Pandora handed the glass back to him, awkwardly. He nodded to her and adjusted his posture, "Good luck, Miss Sullivan."

Pandora mimicked his posture, nervously fidgeting with her hands, "T—Thank you."

Without another word he left the room. Silence fell. Although she tried to listen for any clues as to what would happen, there was nothing. Seconds turned into minutes before a voice crackled through hidden speakers.

"_Initializing." _

Suddenly a glass tube fell from the ceiling and surrounded her. Her eyes darted around the room and her hand pressed against the glass cautiously.

"_Prepare for transportation." _

She adjusted her jacket and sweater. Her eyes widened. Butterflies started buzzing in her stomach.

"_In 3…2…" _

She could hear her heartbeat.

"_...1."_

Pandora held her breath. She wanted to close her eyes but was too scared. Suddenly the pedestal started moving upward. Her eyes looked up at the ceiling just as a vault open and expelled dull light into the tube. She could feel an icy breeze as the pedestal moved towards the light.

The light was so blinding that it took her eyes a moment to adjust. She heard the crackled voice before she realized that she was standing the arena.

"_20…19...18..." _

Pandora blinked her eyes. They were standing in a city of ruins. The cornucopia was in the center of the square and each Tribute was dispersed around it. Rumble and debris lay scattered on the ground, piles of bricks and rocks were dotted around the square. Along the edges and moving outward skeletons of buildings and slanted constructions stood. The arena was a deserted city.

"_10…9…8…" _

Suddenly she realized what was about to happen, her eyes searched. Marius was a few yards away.

"_7…6…"_

He nodded to her. His body was hunched in preparation.

Thunder rumbled above.

Pandora clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes to the cornucopia. It was a sprint away. She studied the weapons and packs that waited.

"_4…3…" _

She tensed her muscles, feeling a strand of her hair fall from her bun as she positioned her feet to run. Lux Halstead had advised her to ignore the cornucopia and hide, but as she stared at the packs she knew she couldn't do that. An urban arena wasn't what she was expecting. In a forest she could make do without a pack, but not in a city of ruins.

White noise buzzed in her ears until she heard it. The opening cannon sounded. Her breath hitched as she broke into a run. She could hear screams wailing all around her as she stumbled over rubble, always keeping her eyes on the cornucopia. She gasped as she leapt over a pile of shrapnel and rolled onto the ground. When she lifted her eyes a backpack was within reach, her hand stretched for it swiftly. Within seconds she had slung the pack over her shoulder and climbed to her feet. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, but she ignored the impending fear that was creeping up inside her.

Smoke rose through the air, in confusion she looked for Marius but all she could see was blood splattering and mist. With a shake of her head she suddenly started sprinting. She was just to the edge of the square when she heard footsteps coming towards her fast, before she could prepare herself he flew through the rising smoke like a shadow, tossing her to the ground.

A groan of pain echoed from her lungs as she peered up at him, it was Petro from District 2. Her eyes widened at the axe in his hand.

She watched as he raised the axe, just as he began dropping the sharp edge towards her skull she rolled over. The metal axe sent sparks flying as it collided with the pile of rocks. She held her breath as she kicked him in the knee and grabbed for a brick. He had just regained balance when she smashed it against his head and shoved him away. She could hear his body drop as she bolted forward.

Her eyes burned from the smoke and blood ran down her temple but she didn't stop moving her feet. She wove through alleyways and nooks, never looking back. The farther she ran the more distant the screams of agony became.

Pandora ran for what seemed like forever. An hour and a few miles had past before she allowed her feet to slow into a walk. It was then that she heard it. The sound of waves crashing. Her brow furrowed in suspicion.

It was only a few more strides till she reached the end of a thin alleyway and stopped. Her brown eyes narrowed. Stretching for miles was a terrifying span of sea. The waves crashed into the buildings violently, lapping at the slanted streets vigorously. The breeze that blew in was icy and bit like a snake.

The clouds above bruised the sky with blue and black. A boom of thunder introduced the rain. As it fell from the sky, Pandora sniffed in dismay. Somewhere in District 7 her family was watching her on a television screen. She thought of all the charming she had done in her interview and suddenly none of it seemed worth it.

After a brief time she wiped the rain from her brow and unzipped the backpack, her eyes widened in anticipation. Inside the pack was a canteen, rope, and matches. Her lips parted in anxiety before she unscrewed the top of the canteen and held it into the air. It took some time to fill it with rainwater but once she had she took a small sip of it and zipped up the bag. Her eyes rose to the tops of the buildings. If she wanted to stay alive, her best bet was to stay high up.

Near the edge of the water was a door. She rubbed her hands together as she tried the handle, it didn't budge. Her jaw clenched as she thrust her shoulder against the door, still nothing.

In aggravation she let out a yell in kicked the door, frowning before walking away. She had only taken a few steps when she heard a creak behind her. Quickly she spun around, the door was suddenly ajar. Her eyes darted around the alleyway as she knelt down and picked up a piece of shrapnel. When she moved towards the door she tilted her head around vigilantly.

For all she knew another Tribute had followed her and was waiting for her inside.

She quietly moved towards it, as far as she could tell there were no signs of life.

How had the door opened?

She furrowed her brow and carefully pushed through. It was dark inside. She could barely see where she was going, but eventually she found a set of iron stairs. The metal screeched as she sprinted up the steps. The higher she went the better she could see, until finally she reached the top. There was a rusty door waiting for. Unlike the door downstairs, when she turned the knob it opened immediately.

It was obvious the building Pandora was in was designed to be a warehouse of some sort. Cavernous rooms connected together, with large windows expelling the arena's grey light inside. She didn't stop until she reached the farthest room and once she did she lifted her hand to the small cut near her ear. A rock had sliced her skin when Petro had pinned her.

She winced as she stared at the tinge of blood on her fingertips. It felt unreal. All of this. To be in the arena, to be hiding like a pathetic little girl, but she had no choice. Her eyes tiredly glanced to the windows. The sun was already starting to set. It was freezing but Pandora didn't dare start a fire, afraid that it would draw attention to her location. She could see her breath rise into the air as she lowered herself onto the hard floor and shivered.

Just as she reached the floor the cannons sounded. She counted the number of times it went off. 14. That meant that there were still 10 Tributes left.

A wave of nausea swept over her, along with a cool sweat. She had no idea how she was going to make it through these Games. Her eyes turned towards the sky as Panem's anthem played. Images of Tributes were projected onto the sky with their District number beneath them. She found herself praying silently, hoping that Scorch or Petro would be one of the images that appeared, but it was wishful thinking. The only pictures that were cast on the sky were the faces of the weak and gangly. Marius wasn't among them, which allowed her to breath a little better. She was surprised to see that Wisty wasn't among the first of the Tributes to die. Back in the training rooms she was sure that the tiny Tribute from District 4 would be the first to go, but maybe the little girl had more tricks up her sleeve then she had let on.

The warehouse creaked in response to the stormy breeze. Pandora pressed her cheek against the cold ground and pulled her knees to her torso. She would need to eat soon, but not now. Now she was tired. The sound of waves echoed through the foundations of the building to her ear. It was peaceful, eerily so, and though she was afraid her eyes slowly began to shut. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the feeling of arctic wind cutting through her clothing and grasping her bones, like the icy hand of death.


	10. Still Waters Run Deadly

_Still Waters Run Deadly_

A wave of tremors murmured throughout the warehouse. At first they were indiscernible. That soon changed.

The first thing Pandora felt when she snapped into consciousness was the floor moving beneath her. Her eyes flew open. It was still dark out but judging by the sky dawn would break soon. Her hand swiftly grappled for the piece of shrapnel she found the previous day as she crawled to her feet in puzzlement.

Another tremor, more powerful the first, shook the building. This time it threw off her equilibrium. Her legs staggered to balance her body. Pandora's eyes twitched to the walls and then to the window. Cracks were starting to form around the window frame, the panes of glass rattled.

She could hear the waves monstrously pummeling the side of the building. Apprehensively she ran to the window and peered below. From her vantage point she could see pieces of the outside wall falling prey to the obsidian sea. It looked like the waves were dissolving the wall of the warehouse.

That was when the third tremor erupted.

Pandora gasped as pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor. The whole building shook. The floor was forming cracks in it.

In realization her lips parted and her brow furrowed. _The warehouse was collapsing_.

She slid onto the ground with bent knees and grabbed her backpack. Without looking back, she started to run.

It felt like the floor was falling out from under her. All around her pieces of plaster and beams began crashing. She jumped as an iron beam collapsed only a few inches shy of her legs.

Within seconds she reached the iron staircase. A cool sweat formed on her brow as she jumped onto the iron steps and started to descend. She could feel the unsteadiness under her boots but it didn't stop her. Suddenly a loud crack echoed throughout the cavernous building, her eyes widened as she felt a frosty gust of wind. One of the walls had fallen.

The quakes of the crash sent ripples. Her breaths shortened when she felt the hinges of the staircase loosen.

Dread swept over her, she was a good 12 feet from the bottom. A glance at the loosening fulcrums was enough to persuade her. She clenched her jaw and grabbed the metal banister, hurling her body over the staircase. She prepared her ankles for the landing. When her feet met the ground she heard splashes accompany the thud. The seawater was flooding into the building. She dropped her eyes to the ground to see that her boots were ankle deep in the salty water.

More pieces of ceiling dropped from above. She narrowed her eyes and trudged through the water. The exit was only a few more feet away.

She had barely reached the door when she heard a terrible sound behind her. It started far away but was moving faster towards her. She crooked her head around and blinked her eyes in fear as the wind blasted her. She could see it in the dull light of twilight: like a row of dominoes the rooms were collapsing into the ocean. She heard herself cry out as she quickened her feet. It took all her strength to open the door but once she did, she hurled her body outside and gasped.

Her feet gave out from under her and her body dropped to the cobblestone street. She was several feet away from the warehouse when she rolled over and looked back. The cataclysmic sounds of a building plummeting into the ocean sharply cut into her ear as the last wall fell and sent a cloud of dirt and dust her way. She cupped her hand over her mouth and squinted her eyes.

It took a moment for the sediment to settle. That was when Pandora noticed the weather. Clouds loomed overhead with rain pouring from their black voids. Large droplets soaked her hair and coat. All that was left of the small warehouse was iron beams that jutted out of the water like claws. Near her feet, the seawater was lapping against the road.

Pandora could hear similar collapses roar from far away. Other buildings were dissolving into the growing ocean. It took her a moment to gather herself and climb to her feet. By the time she had found her footing, dawn was breaking. Her eyes lifted to the sky, it wasn't like the sunrises at home. The light that spilled from the skies was sterile and grey. It was unnatural. Even though it was certainly day it didn't seem like it.

Her hands trembled, she could feel the frostiness of the day in her fingertips. She wondered if the Gamemakers were trying to push her inland, closer to the square, closer to the cornucopia. That was when the sound of the cannon boomed. Another Tribute had died.

_Only 9 left_, she thought, swallowing the unease in her throat.

A grim expression appeared on her face. She recalled all that had happened yesterday. If President Snow was really trying to keep her alive he wasn't doing a very good job. She had been in the arena for less than a day and had already been attacked and nearly crushed into a watery grave. Her eyes dropped to the rusty piece of shrapnel in her hand. She needed a real weapon. There was no doubt in her mind that the Careers had a treasure trove of weapons that they were willing to use on her if they got the chance.

A deep sigh drifted past her lips.

Overhead the caws of birds caught her attention. She peered up at the black silhouettes. They were sea birds, probably petrels or cranes. Though they weren't indigenous to District 7, Pandora remembered seeing the breeds when she studied species of plants and animals during training. Suddenly her stomach grumbled. She licked the rain from her lips, observing how they perched on the eaves and roofs of the buildings.

A whisper of a smile appeared on her face. It would be the first time she would set a trap for a bird.

Fueled by her own hunger she began salvaging any materials she could find that would help her set a trap. It wasn't hard to find useful pieces. The urban sprawl had a lot to offer when it came to debris. Once she had collected everything she needed, she shoved the scraps into her bag and started the journey inland, setting up traps on top of buildings and eaves along the way. She catalogued the route in her mind, remembering where she had placed each snare.

She had walked several blocks before stopping to look around. The arena was silent. It scared her. Her eyes darted around the street before she turned back and retraced her steps. Despite the fact that Pandora was afraid to go further inland she was equally afraid of the impending sea, she spent a few moments debating in her head before she walked further. Although it seemed like no one was around her she made sure to stay quiet and close to the walls. There was no way of knowing how large the arena was and she didn't want to take the chance of being careless. 11 Tributes had already died and she refused to be the 12th.

It would many hours before one of the snares would catch a bird, but her stomach grumbled for food. She paused, fumbling for her water as she peered around. After a few gulps she froze and narrowed her eyes. Vines were growing along the side of a building nearby, vines with red berries. Her eyes widened in hunger. Carefully she examined them, making sure that they weren't poisonous before she began picking the miniscule fruits.

She nibbled on a few as she collected them into the makeshift pouch she had made from an old piece of tarp.

Pacified by the finding of food she decided to rest for a while. Using the matches in her pack she construct a fire and hunched close to it, careful to make as little noise as possible. Pandora sat this way for a long while, trying to warm up close to the fire. It was strange how quiet it was. Surely she couldn't have been far from other Tributes. In paranoia Pandora looked up at the windows lining the skeleton buildings. Maybe she was being watched right now. Rapidly she used her boots to stamp out the flames, dropping her eyes in panic.

"Damn it," She whispered, realizing how stupid she had been.

It didn't matter if it was day. The smoke that rose from the fire was indication enough to the observant hunter.

Cries. Loud and close, abruptly resounded. In surprise Pandora tilted her head to the sky. From inland a flock of birds were coming this way. She adjusted her pack, dropping her hands to her side as she rose to her feet. The caws that erupted from the flock of birds weren't normal. They had been disrupted by something.

Almost immediately after the birds flew overhead, Pandora heard it. The sound of footsteps. The sound of people. Her eyes widened.

"Scorch," She whispered in fear, lowering her eyes straight ahead.

She felt her heartbeat quicken. Just as she started to run, shadows appeared at the end of the alleyway. She gasped as she bolted into a sprint, hearing yells and shouts call after her. Pandora didn't know where she was running to, only who she was running from. Her eyes searched for entrances to buildings but all the ones she tried were locked. Her cheeks flushed as she darted through an archway into a small outdoor alcove and stopped.

They were getting closer. She needed to hide. She looked from left to right. There were windows but she would have to break the glass to get in. Once she was inside they could follow her and trap her. That wasn't a viable option. Her jaw clenched as she peered around. The blissful shouts of the other Tributes pierced her ears just as she lowered her eyes to the ground. There in the middle of the alcove was a manhole.

She ran towards it, running her fingertips along the metal cover.

"Hey! District 7!"

She jumped and looked up. It was the Careers: Nova, Petro, and Scorch. She felt her lips tremble as she searched for the edge of the cover. With the Careers was another Tribute. Pandora recognized her as the female Tribute from District 3, apparently she was allies with them. They were a few yards away.

"You can run but you can't hide—" Nova cooed, evilly.

They were all armed.

Pandora didn't say a word back. She was desperately trying to find a grip on the manhole cover. They had started moving towards her. Her jaw tightened. She couldn't die, not yet. She was just about to give up and start running when, unexpectedly, her fingertips felt it. She bared her teeth, lifting the cover slightly and sliding the manhole open.

She peered into the darkness, then back up at the Careers. Her eyes locked with Scorch's cruel expression just before she dropped into the darkness.

The fall was longer than she had expected. Water, waist deep, waited for her below. When she caught her balance she looked above.

"Well—are you going to follow her?!" She heard Scorch shout.

"I'm not going down there," Nova retorted.

Pandora stumbled in the water, panting for air as she started to move forward. It didn't matter if they were following her into the sewers or not, she needed to get as far away from them as possible.

"I say we make District 3 do it," Pandora heard Petro snicker as he spoke.

Her lips curled in disgust, the water was slowing her down.

There was a brief pause of silence before she heard a splash and felt the ripples in the water. There was only one. She peered over her shoulder to see District 3's red hair.

"Ready or not!" The redhead shouted, her shrill voice echoed through the sewer tunnels.

Pandora slashed at the water with her arms, moving further and further into the darkness. She could hear District 3 splashing through the water close behind but she tried to remain calm.

Minutes into wading through the water Pandora lowered herself into the murky abyss and began swimming. District 3 must have gotten the same idea because when Pandora would stop she could hear the redhead moving faster and faster towards her. They swam through several long tunnels before Pandora halted. She lifted her body out of the water and found her footing, listening for any signs of District 3.

In the darkness all she had was her ears.

Initially there was no noise. No splashing or echoes. Pandora jerked her head around, only able to see a few inches in front of her. It was then that she felt it. A slice in her leg.

A scream of pain wretched out of her lungs as she spun around to come face to face with the female from District 3. She had snuck up on her.

"Gotcha," the redhead eerily whispered.

Pandora could see the glimmer of metal come towards her just in time. She grabbed District 3's wrist and grunted as she tried to take the knife away.

Their hands were slippery from the water. It was hard for Pandora to get a handle on anything, but she was determined. Water splashed around them as they wrestled. At times District 3 would be under the water and then Pandora. In a last effort Pandora dug her nails in District 3's arm. Immediately the redhead dropped the knife in shock and screamed. Although Pandora tried to catch the blade, it quickly sank to the bottom of the sewers.

She winced as District 3 swung a left hook at her jaw and grabbed Pandora by her hair. When Pandora looked up District 3's eyes looked like glimmering coals. A scream bellowed from her as she balled her fists and tried to hit the girl but each time she missed.

A sinister laugh blew warm air onto Pandora's face, "A score of 10, huh?" District 3 unsheathed a second knife and held it to Pandora's cheek, "You don't look so tough."

She was sure she was going to die. Positive.

"You don't have to do this. We can be allies," Pandora whispered, gasping as she felt the shallow cut of the knife on her cheek.

"With you?" the redhead scoffed, "Please—I don't think so."

District 3 lowered the blade so that the point was facing Pandora's stomach. She was just about to cut her when a noise penetrated their ears.

Pandora peered at the ceiling of the tunnel. Light illuminated the pipes overhead.

Suddenly District 3 let go of Pandora and looked around, "What is that?!"

In confusion Pandora lowered her eyes to the water, something beneath the surface was glowing. No,_ several_ things were glowing.

"Oh my god," She whispered breathlessly. "Something's in the water."

District 3 widened her eyes at the glowing forms swimming in formation. Whatever they were, they were big.

The creatures whirled around them.

"What are they?! What is that noise?!" District 3 shouted in fear.

Pandora parted her lips, narrowing her eyes at the water just in time to see one of the creature's slither its head to the surface. She could see it's beady eyes and sharp teeth just before it went back under.

"Sonar eels!" Pandora shouted in panic.

During the Dark Days the Capitol had genetically altered the DNA of moray eels to sniff out and kill the rebels that were invading from the coastline of District 4. They were large and carnivorous. Their skin glowed because of the radioactive process the scientists used to break down their DNA and reassemble it. The noise was the songs that the sonar eels sung. They did this right before a kill.

"Don't move—" Pandora whispered, "Just—stay calm."

But she could hear District 3's breath shake.

"We need to swim!"

"Shh—"

Pandora fearfully peered to the redhead. She remembered her father telling her about these muttations a long time ago. Her father had told her that they were perceptive to movements and sound. Until now she thought that he was crazy.

"I can't take this!" District 3 suddenly squealed, breaking into a swim.

"No!" Pandora widened her eyes, she tried to grab at the redhead but she was already too far for Pandora to help.

Just as soon as the female Tribute started swimming the sonar eels' song heightened. In horror Pandora watched as the glowing forms, beneath the surface, started to follow the sound of splashing.

It wasn't long after District 3 started swimming that they attacked. The screams and pained splashes that sounded caused Pandora to gulp in terror. She need to move if she wanted to stay alive, she only had a few moments before the sonar eels would be done with their first kill and want more.

Swiftly she started swimming. She plunged her hands into the water, not knowing if there was an end to these tunnels. It didn't matter how far she was away from where the massacre was happening, District 3's screams reverberated throughout the sewers. They were ear piercing and horrifying.

Several moments passed before they stopped.

Instantly the cannon boomed.

Pandora lifted her eyes to the ceiling, trying to catch her breath, but the song of the eels urged her forward. She swam as hard and fast as her body allowed. The ladder to one of the openings of the manholes was up ahead. She just needed to be faster than the eels. She pushed her body forward, trying to ignore the glow that started to light up the walls and ceilings of the sewers, a sign that they were close.

She ignored her shaky hands as she grabbed the bar of the ladder and pulled herself up. She had just stepped onto the ladder when she heard the splashing. The eels were slithering around each other, trying to nip at her feet. She lowered her eyes and shrieked as one lunged out of the water and buried its teeth through her boot and into her skin. It took all her might to kick the creature off of her but once she had, she quickly started to climb the ladder. Her palm pressed against the heavy cover until it gave way.

As the manhole slid open and she pulled herself to the surface, she felt the sting of the knife wounds and bite. She slumped her body onto the ground. Her wet clothing and hair formed a puddle around her. She wanted to cry, or scream out for help but she knew that she couldn't do any of that. A camera was probably filming that entire fight, filming the poor redheaded girl from District 3 getting mauled by one of the Capitol's muttations.

Pandora gasped, watching her breath rise towards the sky. She wondered if the girl from District 3 had any parents, or a family. She wondered if they would have seen what had happened to her. She covered her face with her hands and let out a moan of agony. _I should have swam after her_, Pandora thought, _I should have done something_. But she knew that she couldn't have saved her, if Pandora saved District 3 it would only be a matter of time before the girl would have killed her.

Her hands slowly dropped to the blood that was gushing beneath the shaft of her boot. She didn't want to get up, but she ignored her body's pain and lifted herself to her feet. The sun would be setting soon and she needed to hide and take care of her wounds. It seemed like the days were shorter in the arena. By Pandora's calculations the sun had only been up for, roughly, 5 hours. Afraid of another building collapse, Pandora picked a structure inland. She climbed the steps to the roof and dropped her bag.

Her body fell to the ground and her hand searched for the matches in her bag.

Cautiously she began examining her wounds. She had the bite from the eels around her ankle, a shallow cut on her thigh and another on her cheek. The cuts didn't look bad but the bite oozed blood and a strange venom.

Her lips curled as she rolled up her pants and lit a match. She needed to cauterize the bite, to make it stop bleeding and take care of any possible infections. She hesitated, nervously keeping the lit match in the air and staring at the wound. Her head shook.

"Just do it, Pandora," she whispered, gulping before she started to the lower the flame.

It was just about to touch her skin when she heard a beeping.

Her brow furrowed and her eyes lifted to the sky. Gliding towards her, was a parachute. The wind blew out the flame but she barely noticed it. The box landed right beside her. In confusion she dropped the matchstick and grabbed the box. Her hands stung from the cold as she opened it. Inside was a jar of lotion and a note.

She bit her lip as she read over the message:

"_For the bite."_

_-A.P._

It took her a moment to realize who A.P. was. _Adric_.

She crumbled the note in anger and turned her attention to the lotion. She didn't want to use it, she didn't want to use anything the Capitol gave her, but the pain of the bite was overwhelming.

Her eyes squinted as she opened it up and stuck her fingers in. It throbbed when she coated it on the wound. It almost hurt more then the injury itself.

After wrapping the bite in a piece of cloth, she pulled her boot on and leaned back. It was then that she had noticed the sun was almost below the horizon. Storm clouds rumbled above. It was always stormy.

With her backpack slung over her shoulder she crawled to a small covered space on the roof and stared at the darkening clouds, waiting for the day's deaths to be reported in the skies.

Suddenly she thought of Marius. For all she knew Marius was dead. For all she knew the first cannon fired that morning was the signal of his death.

She pursed her lips, refusing to believe that.

"It won't be long now," She said to herself, positioning her back against a nearby brick wall.

Seconds turned it minutes, and minutes turned into hours. She never moved. Snow began to fall from the sky and a shiver traveled through her body. Just before the death announcements started, another cannon rang out.

Pandora's eyes darted around, _that makes 3_.

Apparently, Scorch and the Careers found another hopeless Tribute to prey on.

After only a few more short minutes the anthem of Panem erupted, causing her to peer nervously at the sky. Three images flashed above. There was the male from District 4, the female from District 3, and finally a young girl that was supposedly from District 12. Pandora barely recognized the last one.

The wave of nausea gradually subsided. Marius was still alive.

She hoped that he was safe.

_Tomorrow I'll find him_, she told herself. But doubt squirmed like an animal inside her. Eventually he would have to die, eventually they all would. Her mind went back to the moment she signed Snow's contract. She was a traitor and a fraud. Sorrowfully, she hugged her jacket closer to her body, gritting her teeth. She wished she had died with the eels.


	11. The Gentle Hum of Anxiety

_I hate to do headers but I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has recently supported the story. Know that it is appreciated and inspires me to continue writing. I've worked hard on the concepts behind Dark Moon Rising and have big plans (cue in maniacal laughter). Anyways...enough of my ramblings. Enjoy :)_

* * *

_The Gentle Hum of Anxiety_

Large flakes fell from the battered clouds above, coating the strange city of rubble with a blanket of ice and snow. The temperature had dropped significantly, and the days were getting shorter. There had been tremors. Occasionally in the distance the sound of buildings crumbling sounded. The remaining Tributes were being pushed into the center of the arena.

Two days had past since the sewers. Since then no cannons had fired.

Pandora was roasting a bird, which had been caught in one of her snares. She tiredly held it over a small fire. Her fingers were red. She had let her hair down to keep her neck warm. The whispers of emerald strands had faded to a light mint color. Dark circles peered out form under her brown eyes. She had barely slept.

Her lips trembled as she lifted the charcoaled meat to her mouth and ripped into the pithy texture. Normally it would have tasted rancid but not now. Now she was starving, not to mention dehydrated. She had finished the canteen of rainwater a day and a half ago, a miscalculation on her part. She didn't realize that the rain would turn to snow.

Birds flew overhead in cawing flocks. They were her indicators that another Tribute was near. She needed to move.

Promptly she stamped out the fire and retrieved her bag. Her boots crunched into the snow as she headed towards the gutter, hesitantly grasping the cold metal and throwing her weight into the wall. She slid down the metal pipe, landing spryly on the ground. The wind blew the falling snow into flurries. Pandora lowered her eyes to the snow-laden road, curling her lips.

The snowfall meant she would leave an obvious trail, but she had no choice. Her breath rose through the air, quietly she started to walk.

Crashes. Sudden and deafening crashes.

Her heart thumped against her ribcage. Abruptly she spun around and widened her eyes. Collapses, coming closer. From where she stood, Pandora could see the sediment rising into the air. Two days of no deaths. The Gamemakers must be getting antsy.

Her lips pursed as she clutched the straps of her pack and began sprinting through the snow. Thought Pandora was sure the bite on her ankle would leave a nasty scar, it had started to heal almost immediately after she applied it to the wound. She had been inconspicuously searching the perimeter of the arena for Marius for the past two days with no luck. Pandora didn't want to admit it to herself but she knew that he must be close to the square. It was the only place she hadn't looked, for fear of the Careers.

Her tactic was to wait everyone out, but from the sound of the buildings collapsing it didn't look like that was going to happen.

In thought Pandora's brow furrowed. Before her mind made up the decision, her feet began moving inland.

Silence.

She tasted the snow on her lips, slyly pressing her back against the wall.

It wasn't like the silence before: empty and stagnant. This was a full quiet. The calm before the storm.

Her hand searched for the piece of shrapnel near her belt, her eyes twitched to the windows and doors along the narrow way. Snow had covered the windowsills and easels of the buildings. They looked untouched, but at the rate the snow had been falling that didn't mean much. Another Tribute could still be lurking near one of the doorways waiting for her to pass by before they jumped out.

Over the past two days she hadn't seen a glimpse of another competitor, it was beginning to wear on her. She almost wished someone would jump out just so she would know she wasn't going crazy, that she wasn't completely alone. Her cracked lips puckered in concentration as she crunched through the snow. Isolation. It was one of the most dangerous obstacles in the arena. Pandora had seen it many time on screen but never experienced. It didn't take long for that isolation to morph into paranoia. Snowflakes caught on her eyelashes as she looked up at petrels that were nesting near a pair of stone gargoyles. The menacing faces of the sculptures glared at. She could feel the paranoia take hold.

Already the grey light was starting to become dimmer. The sun was setting. It had only been up for 2 hours. Apparently the Gamemakers wanted this Hunger Games to be in darkness. The longer it took for everyone to die, the longer the night became.

Her mouth was dry. Pandora could feel the lightness in her head, she need water.

A grimace darkened her face.

Her only hope was the snow, but she couldn't eat it. Ingesting the snow would lower her body temperature, something she wasn't willing to do. She needed to make another fire. Again she looked to the sky. With the sun setting she knew she couldn't build one. She would have to wait till the sun rose again.

Gripping fear squirmed inside. _What if the sun doesn't rise again?_ She shook the doubt from her mind and lowered her head. She had to wait. Now wasn't the time for impatience, impatience can kill you in the Hunger Games.

Her feet had just reached the mouth of the alley when a terrible sound bellowed nearby.

Her heart jumped.

Swiftly she threw herself over a pile of rubble, crouching her body in the shadows as she adjusted the crude weapon in her palm.

At first there were no signs of life.

Pandora's eyes nervously twitched around. Her senses heightened, just as they had in the sewers.

From where she hid she could see a large stretch of road. It was wide and open to the elements. Just like the rest of the arena, snow had covered most of it, though pieces of metal and bricks protruded out of the crisp powder. Across the way, a wave of steps was carved into the slope of a building.

Despite the strange outcry, the wide juncture seemed vacant of life. Darkness was coming, twilight would only last a few brief minutes.

Her breath puffed from her lips. Her body refused to move an inch.

_Cries. Terrible, shrill screams. _

She held her breath, pushing her back harshly against the icy wall. Pandora held her breath, closing her eyes tightly. Another noise echoed. It sounded like a rock being hurled against a wall.

Ignoring her fear she blinked her eyes opened, drawing back in astonishment at what she saw.

The lanky boy from District 6 fell to the ground near the carved steps. He was only a few strides away. Blood ran down his face.

"Help me! Someone help me!"

Pandora widened her eyes in terror.

She gritted her teeth when she heard District 6 start crying. The cries. They were the same ones that Pandora had heard before.

"Where's the little one, huh?"

Petro. She remembered his voice. He walked into view with Nova to his side. Pandora peered around, Scorch wasn't with them.

The lanky boy squirmed on the snowy ground, "I don't know…I swear."

"Wrong answer," Nova snickered just as Petro kicked District 6 in the stomach. The boy curled into a ball, spewing blood with a gurgle.

"Your turn, Nova," Petro whispered.

Pandora watched in horror as the blonde girl knelt down to pick up a brick. She laughed a little before hurling it through the air at the boy. Pandora could see blood splatter as it hit District 6 just under the ribs. The scream that he let out was nightmarish.

"Still nothing, huh?" Petro asked, picking another brick up.

This time it hit the boy in the head.

Pandora froze. _They were stoning him to death_.

She knew she should do something but didn't know what. Her eyes dropped to the shrapnel, she couldn't take them both on.

"Stop! I'm here! Just don't hurt him!"

The voice was innocent and high pitched.

When Pandora lifted her eyes, her rosy cheeks went pale. Wisty was running towards them. _What was she doing? She was outing herself when she needed to hide. That little girl didn't stand a chance against two Careers. _

Petro and Nova didn't stop. They hurled bricks, rocks, and anything else they could find at the boy. He tried to climb to his feet, only to be bludgeoned to the ground. It all happened in a matter of seconds. Seconds that Pandora would never forget.

Wisty had just made it to him when his body dropped to the ground.

Even from where Pandora hid, she could tell he was dead. The cannon sounded.

Wisty knelt down beside him, her tiny hand shaking him as if he were only sleeping.

Suddenly Pandora's eyes filled with compassion. The lanky boy from District 6 had been protecting Wisty.

The shadows of Petro and Nova started moving closer to Wisty. They snickered like a pack of wild hyenas. It terrified Pandora.

Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She needed to get up.

"Guess whose next?" Nova hissed, laughing as she slinked closer, this time retrieving a short spear that had been attached to her backpack.

Through the darkness Pandora could see tears streaming down Wisty's cheeks. Suddenly she thought of Finnick and something overpowered her, although she couldn't explain what.

She bared her teeth like a wild animal: "NO!"

It took her a second to find her footing in the snow. Her dark hair blew around her face as she leapt out of the shadows and over the scattered debris, charging at them.

Petro and Nova spun around in surprise, though their smiles didn't drop.

It was only a few strides to Nova. She locked eyes with the blonde and growled. When she was two feet away, Pandora slid on her side, past Nova, and gave her a swift kick to the back of her leg. Instantly Nova fell. Pandora grabbed a brick as she jumped to her feet. She threw it at Petro, nailing him in shoulder and sending him to the ground.

"Run, Wisty!" she shouted, balling her hands into fists as she whirled back around to face Nova. But Wisty wasn't moving, she was crouching near the corpse of District 6.

A sting sliced Pandora near her shoulder and sent a screech reeling out of her lungs. Nova had stabbed her in the arm. Pandora gasped as she stared into Nova's cold blue eyes.

"You should have stayed away, District 7."

Pandora narrowed her eyes. "You should take your own advice," she grimaced as her nails clawed Nova's face.

Pandora grabbed the spear from Nova with a groan. She was trying to pry it from the blonde's hand, but Nova wasn't giving up that easy. She held onto it, smiling darkly as the blood ran down her face.

"Is that all you got?" She roared, defiantly staring into Pandora's eyes.

Unexpectedly, Nova extended her hand. Pandora thought she was going to hit her, instead the Career held it in the air. The smile on her lips grew as she twisted the spear into an unnatural position with the other hand. Instantly Pandora could feel the pain in her wrists, she released the spear clutching at her arms just as Nova punched her in the chest.

In shock, Pandora staggered backwards and gasped for air. She tried to find her footing but the rubble beneath her gave way, and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

Nova licked the blood from her lips, tilting her head up as she held the spear.

"We don't need this," She chuckled, suddenly snapping it two over her knee and tossing the pieces to the white ground, "If I'm going to kill you I'm going to do it with my bare hands."

Pandora groaned in pain. She could feel the snow soaking her pants and stinging her hands. She tried to get up but continued to struggle against the icy cobblestone. From her peripherals she could see Petro rising from the ground. In fear she glanced at Wisty. She wasn't moving.

"Get out of here!" Pandora shouted, waving Wisty away.

In response, Wisty only peered up and blinked her eyes.

"Damnit, I said get out of here, Wist—AAH!"

Her breath violently rose through the air as she felt pain shoot up her leg. Her eyes lifted to see Nova, she was pressing her foot onto Pandora's ankle, the pressure was unbearable. With a devilish smile, Nova applied more pressure and leaned her body over Pandora.

"Where is he?"

Pandora tried to wiggle away. "What are you talking about!?"

Nova dropped to her knees, pinning Pandora. She wrapped her hands around Pandora's throat and began squeezing. "You're little friend, the other one from District 7."

_Marius._

Pandora's eyes narrowed in anger, she tried to throw Nova off but the blonde was heavier and a lot stronger. Her blue eyes twinkled as she tightened her grip around Pandora's throat.

Pandora's breath cut out, fearfully she turned her eyes towards Petro. He was walking towards Wisty, helpless Wisty.

"You stay away from her!" Pandora managed to shout, flailing her arms.

"Uh-uh-uh. Did I say you could speak, District 7?" She heard Nova croon.

Pandora's hands began wandering blindly for something in the snow, anything. Finally her fingers caught a grip on something, a rock.

She twitched her eyes to Nova and pursed her lips as she took the heavy piece of debris and smashed it against her skull. She could hear the crack as Nova fell to the ground with a shriek of pain.

Pandora's eyes darted to the broken spear. It was close. Holding her breath, she climbed to her feet and ran. Nova followed quickly behind.

She slipped as she snatched it from the ground but quickly recovered, turning around just in time to prepare herself.

When she shoved the bladed end into Nova's stomach she could feel the girl's body collapse. Pandora parted her lips sorrowfully as she watched the light leave the blonde's eyes.

The cannon boomed.

She had barely noticed the blood on her hands before she heard Wisty's scream. Quickly she shoved Nova's corpse away.

Petro had Wisty by her auburn hair and was dragging her through the snow. He was pulling her towards an alleyway.

"No…" she whispered, pushing herself into a run, though her muscles strained to do so.

She heard herself cry out as she stumbled over rocks and ice, "Let go of her!"

Petro spun around, lifting Wisty from the ground and wrapping his arm around her neck, "Hold it, right there."

Abruptly, Pandora froze, listening to Petro's orders.

They stared at each other in silence. Several heartbeats past. The snowfall was thick.

"I said let her go!"

In reply Petro chuckled, "Look at you, you can barely stand."

Pandora's knees were trembling but her face remained stern.

He smiled as he placed his hands on either side of Wisty's face.

"Stop—" her voice cut out.

"You have to win!" Wisty shouted, kicking her feet as the tears streamed down her face, "You hear me? You have to—"

Cracks. The terrible sound of bones breaking.

The series of pops quickly stopped Wisty's words.

Pandora wailed as she watched the little girl's body fall to the ground. Petro had snapped her neck.

Tears burned in Pandora's eyes, she felt nauseous.

Her feet went numb. Her knees fell to the ground. She clawed at the snow, letting out cries of agony.

She could hear Petro's steady footsteps coming towards her but she didn't move. It wasn't until she saw his boots that she lifted her eyes. His gruesome eyes stared down at her. She couldn't form words, tears were pouring into her mouth and down her neck.

Finally she found her lips.

"Y—You're a monster!" She wailed, digging her fingers into the snow.

Without responding he reached down and grabbed Pandora around the neck, lifting her off the ground so that she was eye level to him, "Scorch wanted to be the one to kill you—but I think he'll have to be disappointed. To be honest if he really wanted to he would have gone down in the sewers with you. I still don't understand how you managed to kill the girl from District 3."

Pandora remembered the song of the sonar eels. Her breath trembled.

She gritted her teeth as he pulled her closer. She wanted to fight back but her muscles weren't cooperating. She could barely lift her arms.

Hope was lost.

Petro, from District 2. It would be the last face she would see before she died. Around her wrist she could feel the bracelet Dash had given her. Although she couldn't see it, she tried to imagine it in her mind. The silver tree delicately dangling form the thin chain.

"I'm sorry, Dash—" her whisper disappeared with the wind.

Pandora could feel Petro reposition his hands around her throat. He was going to snap her neck, a fitting end to a tragic story. President Snow couldn't save her from this, and truthfully she didn't want to be. It all came in a rush. What Finnick had said to her, why Lux Hastead chose morphine over water. Finnick had wished her death knowing that if she survived the arena she would have to live with the nightmares, with the faces of dead children haunting her.

She felt her heart slowing. She had accepted her death.

But it was wishful thinking. From the darkness something stirred.

Her brow creased and her jaw clenched as she squinted her eyes past Petro into the night. That was when she saw it. A shadow.

Her eyes widened. It was coming straight for them. She gasped in fright. She had barely blinked before the shadow moved behind Petro and hit the Career over the head with, what looked like, a club.

Her body went rigid as she felt Petro's hands loosen form her throat and his body dropped to the ground. She panted for air, stepping back in fear.

The shadow had no face. For all she knew it was Scorch or another one of the Capitol's mutts. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.

Blood was draining from her cheeks, she was dizzy. Suddenly her legs went limp. As she fell into the rocky snow in defeat her eyes rolled back in her head.

Seconds past but they felt like a lifetime.

Why hadn't the shadow killed her? _What did it want?_

In one last effort she focused her eyes, the silhouette was kneeling beside her. It took her a moment to recognize the face.

"Marius?" she weakly breathed his name, blinking her eyes as if she seeing a mirage.

His hands were cold when he touched her cheek.

Tears started to roll down her face, "I thought you were a mutt."

Through the darkness Petro grumbled. He was coming to.

Marius anxiously looked at Petro's unconscious body and then back to Pandora, "We need to leave—now."

"I—" She bared her teeth as she tried to sit up, "I can't move."

Instantly, he reached out for her. Pandora trembled as Marius picked her up and started running. She didn't know where they were going, only that her friend had her. The cold bit at her cheeks and nose, snow fell in the darkness.

She was drained of life, her arms and legs hung limply. Though she tried to keep her eyes open they slowly started to close. The last thing she heard before fainting was Petro's defiant screams of revenge echoing through the maze of the arena. They reminded her that the worst was yet to come. They reminded her that the nightmare wasn't over.


	12. It Catches Up With You

_It Catches Up With You_

Pandora's eyes opened with a spontaneous rush of consciousness. As if she had risen from the grave, her lips suddenly parted and a harsh breath filled her lungs. Frosty air caused her throat to burn with fury.

It was dark. Stars above gleamed, resembling thousands of diamonds of various cuts and shapes against a canvas of black velvet. There were no clouds in the sky, a first for the arena. Her vision was hazy and distorted.

In a daze Pandora furrowed her brow, feeling pain travel throughout her body. Though she urged her muscles to move they refused with sore fatigue. She was lying on her back, bundled underneath what felt like a blanket. Something was cushioning her head. When she apprehensively lifted her hand, she could feel that her backpack was cradling her neck.

In the distance something moved. Pandora gasped in shock as recent memories came flooding back. The poor boy from District 6 being stoned to death, Wisty's lifeless body falling into the snow, and even Nova. She had killed Nova, she had witnessed the light leave Nova's eyes. Suddenly her saliva tasted acidic and vile, her lips curled as she felt the nausea rise in a wave. When she turned over to her side and clasped her hand against the ground, vomit spewed from her mouth.

Despite the frigid temperatures beads of sweat had formed on her brow, and her naturally fair skin had become pallid and sickly. Her slender fingers clutched at the blanket as she rolled onto her back and groggily panted for air.

_Snow crunching._

Her eyes widened, it was the noise she had heard only moments before. This time it was much closer. Her hand searched for the piece of shrapnel near her belt, trembling. Instantly she felt the cold metal of the weapon and tightened her grip around it.

As the crunching came closer, the sounds became more distinguishable. Footsteps, without a shadow of doubt Pandora knew that they were footsteps.

She could feel the faintness in her head and the stiffness in her muscles but she gritted her teeth in concentration, caressing the crude weapon resting in her fingers.

It wasn't until the footsteps stopped and a shadow hovered over her that she jolted up. Her jaw clenched as she slammed her fist against a kneecap with a solid punch. Immediately the person fell to the ground with a shout. With bared teeth she grabbed the collar of a jacket and pulled the anonymous figure against the point of her weapon.

"Who are you?!" Her voice was hoarse and gruff.

She could hear herself breathing but nothing else. For a few heartbeats the figure remained still. It was only after the initial shock had worn off that she heard a familiar voice.

"Pandora?—_What are you doing?!_"

She pressed the rusty blade further into his back, tearing his coat as she did so. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It couldn't be Marius.

But then he spoke again: "Pandora! It's Marius! Stop!"

She haphazardly drew back. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Suddenly the rest of the memories crashed through her mind. Petro was about to kill her, he would have killed her, but Marius had saved her. Her fingers loosened their grip on the shrapnel, letting it fall to the ground. Her feet and hands shuffled through the snow as she crawled a few feet away into the shadows and stared at him.

"Marius?" She cautiously peered around, "Where am I?"

Marius' breath rose to the stars. His nose was red from the cold. As he climbed to his feet, he picked up the blanket and dusted off the snow.

She took a few breaths in, "Marius—"

"You're dehydrated. I gave you some water when you came to a while ago but you need more, you look like hell," He glared at her as he unzip his jacket and tossed her a bottle of water, "I've been having to strap them against my torso because its too cold to keep them in my pack. They'll freeze."

Pandora jumped as the water bottle flew at her, landing in her lap with a thud. Her fingers grazed her lips in confusion, they were cracked and wind burnt.

"Sorry if I scared you," He whispered.

The gulps she took of the water were hearty and long. When she released her lips from the bottle she gasped, closing her eyes. "I forgot—" though her voice wasn't as raw, there was an edge to it, "I didn't mean to attack you. I thought you were someone else."

He quietly nodded, arching his eyebrows as he lifted something into the air, "I was hunting."

Pandora squinted her eyes through the darkness. It was a rat, larger than she had ever seen.

"Don't worry, I'll get a fire going."

"No—they'll see it. The light and smoke will give us away."

He knelt to the ground, rummaging through his bag until he pulled out a few piece of woods that he had gathered from vines, which crept up certain buildings in the arena.

A smile appeared on his lips as he began mounting them, "Relax. They're not coming for us tonight."

"How can you be sure?"

It was then that she looked around. They were perched on the top floor of a tall tower. If the skyscraper had been in pristine condition there would have been a roof to the room they were in. However the roof had been torn off, leaving behind decrepit walls that had crumbled, along with old furniture covered by a blanket of snow.

Her eyes dropped to the ground and with the tip of her boot she brushed the thick layer of snow away from the ground to see an icy hardwood floor beneath. The walls unevenly jutted into the air like ancient weatherworn ruins. The north side of the room had crumbled away entirely, revealing a view of the arena.

Speechlessly she meandered to the edge, her eyes darted around the cityscape. She could see the obsidian sea, not far from where their building stood.

"Trust me, I'm sure."

She spun around, Marius had lit the fire and was starting to skin the rat. When she jerked around he lifted his eyes in surprise and pointed to the flames.

"I borrowed your matches. Hope you don't mind."

Drawn to the fire by warmth she slowly tiptoed towards the hearth, lowering herself with a shiver onto, what looked like, an old chest.

"We're on the edge of the arena?"

"Technically the edge is where the sea begins, but we're as close as we can get to it. Those Careers won't find us, I've been scoping out the area for the past few days. This is the tallest building. Even if they were nearby they wouldn't be able to see this fire."

Uncomfortably, she crossed her arms and bent closer to the flames, "How long was I out?"

He efficiently skewered the rat with a thin metal pole and placed it above the flames to cook, "It's been a few hours now. You were coming in and out of sleep. I wrapped your arm up and put that gunk you have on your wounds."

She clasped her hand to her arm, instantly feeling the sting of pain when he mentioned it.

"Gunk?" She asked tiredly.

"That stuff you had in the jar. I used it on one of my cuts, it works fast."

Nervously she twitched her eyes to his face, "Yea, it does."

"Something tells me you didn't get that from your pack."

For a brief moment Pandora thought about lying but refrained. Even if Marius did believe her everyone watching throughout Panem would know that it was a lie. And if they realized this, they would begin to question it. That was something she didn't want.

"No—it was sent to me."

A dark laugh blew past his lips as he wiped his bloody hands on a dirtied piece of tarp, "Figures."

"What?"

"You scored a 10, I should have known that between the two of us you would be the one getting packages from sponsors."

Pandora couldn't ignore the bitter undertones of his words but decided to ignore it.

Solemnly she lifted her hand to her head in thought, "I was looking for you."

Although he nodded as if he were listening, he didn't respond. Instead he turned the skinned rodent over and listened to the sizzling of meat for a moment.

When he looked up at Pandora again, his face was hardened.

"What were you thinking?"

The question took her off guard.

She blinked her eyes, "I don't know what you—"

"You tried to take on two Careers. Are you insane? If I didn't show up you would have been taken away with the rest of the bodies."

An aggravated expression appeared on her face and her eyes narrowed. "I was trying to help."

"And look where it got you?"

"I had it under control."

"You were giving up."

The accusation astonished her. "_Excuse me_?"

"I saw it your eyes. You gave up. You were going to let him kill you."

"If you saved my life to scold me, you're wasting your breath."

Silently, he turned his face away with a deep sigh. The sigh resonated with Pandora. Her cheeks flushed in shame, but it was barely apparent because of the frosty rosiness already there. For once she was glad of the cold and darkness, glad because it hid her dishonor.

"It doesn't matter," He finally said, pulling out a knife and retrieving the cooked meat from the fire. He sliced into the meat like a professional hunter. It surprised Pandora, but as she recalled the fact that Marius spent many afternoons hunting with August, the surprise quickly waned.

"You should eat. You wasted a lot of energy sleeping."

Her fingers trembled as she reached out for a piece and brought it to her mouth. Strangely the rodent tasted better than the birds she had caught.

"Thank you—for everything."

He shrugged as he tore a piece of meat away from the bone, "You would have done the same."

Pandora's eyes lingered on his face for brief time before she looked up into the starry sky. Silver light from the moon and stars was spilling into the arena, causing the snow to dully glimmer. She smiled. The smile took her off guard, but she couldn't escape the thought that in the fleeting silver light this city of ruins, flanked by a sea of obsidian, looked beautiful.

"I didn't think the clouds would ever part. I wonder if it will stay this way when the sun rises."

Marius peer up at the sky, "It's not going to rise."

"_What?_" Her eyes dropped to his face in shock. He said it so casually, as if it were nothing.

"The sun. It should be up right now but it's not. I've been keeping track of it over the past two days. From here on out it's darkness."

"I thought you said I was only out for a few hours?"

He dropped the bone to the snow and locked eyes with her, "I lied."

She let the words sink in. Her fears had come true. The sun wouldn't rise. Maybe she would never see the sun again. Pandora shivered at this terrifying thought. She wondered how long it would be until the frosty nightmare would be over. That was when she remembered Petro, then Scorch.

"Petro—"

"He's still alive," Marius quickly interrupted, shuffling the snow with his boots.

"He'll be looking for me."

"Well, he's not finding you. Neither will Scorch. I'm going to kill them."

"What are you talking about?" In the moonlight his expression looked severe and vengeful.

"You shouldn't have to kill anyone. I won't let them get near you."

Pandora twitched her eyes away, towards the rows of buildings that stretched into the night, "That's not how this works."

"I thought I wasn't going to find you. Now that I have, I'm making sure you stay out of harm's way."

"Marius, we're in this together. I'm not going to let you take them on by yourself!"

"You don't have a choice."

Anger came in a violent wave. Her eyes narrowed daggers at Marius and her lips parted in shock, "Watch your mouth."

She wondered if her family was watching them right now, if August was. Her lips pursed in fury. This wasn't how this was supposed to be. Marius wasn't supposed to get in the way. President Snow had her life in a vise. Marius didn't need to worry about her. The Games were stacked. He needed to worry about himself, even if it saddened her to think this way. Her life had been whittled down to this one Game, a game to the death.

In silent frustration she leaned away, rubbing her hands to keep warm.

They sat side by side for a while, trying to ignore the icy weather and chilling winds. There was no way of getting comfortable. No way of being warm. Pandora tried to bundle the blanket around her but the wind cut through it with ease. She could barely feel her fingers, and with no sun there would be no alleviation from the burning cold.

As time past she could feel the pain in her head subsiding, slowly the dark circles underneath her eyes eased, but not fully. The flames of the fire had died down, now only embers glowed from beyond the charred branches of vines.

"Why did you do it?"

Pandora twitched her eyes towards Marius and pulled the blanket to her chin, "What?"

"That girl. You knew she wasn't going to make it, why even bother?"

She narrowed her eyes in disbelief, "Why did you bother saving _me_?"

He stared at her honestly and without moving anything but his lips he replied: "Because—you're August's sister."

Her breath rose into the darkness. August. His blue eyes and bright smile. She hadn't allowed herself to remember his face in so long, at least not fully. It was too painful. But when Marius mentioned his name her mind went back to the last time they spoke. It was at the District House, he had told her to come back to them. Her throat burned suddenly. Pandora would come back to them, but not the way they wanted.

When she glanced back at Marius she noticed he was still staring at her, almost as if he were reading her mind. Self-consciously she blinked her eyes away.

"Her name was Wisty. She was from District 4—" her words cut off roughly, "I saved her—_tried_ to save her—because it was the right thing to do."

"If I didn't show up you would have died."

"Maybe—" Pandora recalled Snow's promise and clenched her jaw, "But I don't think I would be that lucky."

She saw his laugh rise through the air in puffs of condensed breaths. When she turned to look at him she noticed a boyish grin on his lips.

"Now that I believe."

Instantly she smiled, reciprocating the laugh and shaking her head. It was contagious, the way Marius smiled, perhaps because he rarely did so, or maybe simply because Pandora need it. She had been isolated for almost a week, being around Marius again made her feel human.

But slowly the laughing faded, dissipating into the night.

"You remember the way the forest smelt in summer?" Marius quickly whispered, almost as if he were talking to himself.

She smirked, shivering underneath the blanket, "Like pine."

"Not just pine," he continued, "It was sweet. The air, the grass, even the dirt had a sweet smell. And when you walked through the tall grass and the sun coated your skin—"

Pandora's smile dropped in understanding.

"—And at night the fireflies would come out. We used to catch them in jars. Do you remember?"

Her jaw clenched as she nodded, "August used to tell me they were magical."

"It seems so long ago."

"Marius—"

She could hear his breath quake.

"I miss it."

"I miss it too."

Quietly she slid over to him and extended the blanket over his legs, it was then that she could feel his body shuddering.

"I'll never see it again."

"Marius, it's not true—it's not."

Her throat became dry. These lies were beginning to take a toll on her.

Marius bowed his head and let out a groan, his hand covered half his face, "I thought I would never find you."

"I know," she whispered in reply, "But you did."

"I needed to. I would never forgive myself if I didn't try."

Though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was crying.

"Marius—everything will be alright. We'll get through this. You're just tired."

"Don't!" he shrugged her hand off his back and leaned away, "I don't want to be consoled—I don't need it. Alright?"

Silenced filled the darkness. Instinctively she lowered her head and cradled her arms close to her chest. She let a few minutes pass before she spoke.

"August used to talk about you all the time."

He listened soundlessly.

"He cared about you. I wish I had realized why before all this. I wish I could have known you back then."

She patiently waited for a response but there was none, at least not immediately.

His boots shifted the snow and his head finally tilted up. The starry sky made his watery eyes twinkle, "We would have never gotten along. You're too stubborn and prideful."

A sad smile appeared on her face, "Don't forget about my complete lack of humor."

Suddenly Marius laughed, placing his chin on his knee and smiling with a shake of his head, "Of course we can't forget that."

Pandora nudged him with a grin and chuckled. In that brief moment she had forgotten about the cold, about the arena, and death. They laughed together, each feeding off the other's jab and stories. But it was only a glimpse of happiness, and when Pandora realized this, the ephemeral moment quickly dissolved into nothing.

Although she heard Marius laugh, her smile soon faded. She recognized that it was only temporary, their laughs and banter. They were in a match to the death and she already knew the outcome. Pandora parted her lips and furrowed her brow.

_Maybe there was a way they could both win_, inside she laughed.

What a delusional thought. There had never been two winners in the history of the Hunger Games, and there never would be.

_Only one winner_.

Marius was telling a story but Pandora barely heard him. She chewed on her bottom lip. There would only be one definite result. The constants were what President Snow could control, but Pandora hadn't thought about the variable: _her_. She could change things. Her eyes widened in understanding. She may have signed a contract but that didn't mean she couldn't fight it.

"Pandora?"

Her heartbeat quickened as she snapped back to reality and looked at Marius.

"Are you okay?"

She scanned his face with a smile, "I think I am. For the first time since this arena I think I know why I'm here."

"Pandora? What are you talking ab—"

Echoes of an unnatural sound.

It took Pandora a moment to distinguish the sound. A baritone gong interrupted his question, distracting Marius from his own curiosity.

Abruptly Pandora jumped to her feet. Her brown eyes darted around.

"What is that?" Marius asked.

"_Remaining Tributes." _

The Gamemakers. The voice sounds electronic. Pandora peered at the sky.

"_In only a few short hours the moon will be eclipsed." _

Her eyes anxiously looked at the moon.

"_When the lunar eclipse happens, a package will arrive at the cornucopia. This package will contain exactly what you need to win the Games and become our champion. It all depends on which one of you arrive first, and which one of you is brave enough to retrieve it." _

Simultaneously Pandora and Marius looked at each other.

"_Thank you and may the odds by ever in your favor." _

The concluding gong echoed, sending tremors through the arena.

"A package—"

Pandora shook her head, "No. I know what you're thinking, and no."

Excitement filled his eyes, "They say it's what we'll need to win."

"I just—I have a bad feeling about this. Something's off."

"Do you want Scorch and Petro to get it? They already have the upper hand and now you want to give them more leeway?!"

She pressed her fingers against her temples, "Marius, think clearly about this. What if it's just a way to lure us into the same location?"

"What if it's not?"

They defiantly stared at each other.

"Pandora, you know we don't have a shot, you know we need this."

_We_. She grimaced at his usage of the word.

"We don't even know what _it_ is."

He scoffed, throwing his hands into the air and turning away, "I'm going, whether you come with me or not."

"Marius, I'm trying to be smart about this."

Angrily he spun around to face her, "I'm your friend."

She gritted her teeth and shook her head. This wasn't part of the plan. "Stop saying that."

"I am. And you have to be with me on this. We have to be a team."

She bit her lip, trying to hold back all the things she had to say. So many secrets. She was being buried alive.

"Are you with me?"

She didn't look away. Her lips rubbed together. In only a matter of seconds her plan had been thrown off. Quickly she tried to collect her thoughts.

_Marius would win_, she repeated this multiple times.

She knew the only way he would win is if she died. If she died then the contract wouldn't matter. Nothing would. Pandora clenched her jaw. She had to do this. It was the only way to show President Snow he didn't have a hold on her. No longer would she be a tool in his game. She would die so that Marius could live. Marius, a boy that deserved to be a champion, deserved to feel the sun on his face again. He was better than her in so many ways.

Pandora couldn't save Wisty but she could save Marius, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She tilted her head up. Eerie calmness swept over her. "Of course I'm with you."

He smiled, not knowing the plan she had formed in a matter of seconds, not knowing that the affirmation in her eyes was the acceptance of her own death.

"We should move then. It's a trek to the cornucopia."

He started collecting his things. She silently agreed, dropping her eyes as they began the journey.

It was a silent trip. Occasionally birds would caw near the coastline. They're songs being carried inland by the wind. As they walked along the alleyways and roads it became darker. They were only a few blocks from the square when snow began to fall. Pandora narrowed her eyes at the moon.

Slowly, almost invisibly, the eclipse was starting.


	13. Where There's Smoke

_I'm trying to ration out these chapters but I'm getting too excited. Here's another one. Enjoy (I hope) :) _

* * *

_Where There's Smoke…_

_The moon enters penumbra._

It had started. The moon and the earth's shadow had made contact.

The quiet seeped into her pores, muscles, and bones. She was aware of the darkness, aware of the snow falling. Even Marius' boots sinking into the snow resonated with her.

In a matter of minutes, fleeting clouds had appeared in the arena's sky. Darkness was encroaching steadily.

Pandora tightened the straps of her rucksack. She tried to swallow the fear but it lingered in her mouth and gut like a rancid piece of meat. Her eyes refused to blink and, despite the cold, she kept the piece of shrapnel at the level of her eye in preparation.

It would only be a few more paces to the square.

Marius had taken the lead. Occasionally she observed the way he jerked his head from left to right. Pandora wondered if he felt the dread she was feeling. Back at the tower he had been confident that they could retrieve the package. That was not something she was sure of, nor did she want to be. The mystery of it caused a wave of nausea to rumble in her stomach. Her frosty lips puckered in thought as she remembered the confrontation she had with Scorch the night of the interviews, the night before the arena. Before Finnick had gotten involved Pandora had seen an animalistic look in his eyes, a glare that she hadn't been able to shake. It was only a matter of time before he got his hands on her, and when he did—her breathing turned shallow, Marius' footsteps had stopped.

All other thoughts disappeared. She was back in the present.

Pandora watched as he noiselessly turned around and placed his finger to his lips. He was grabbing something from his bag. Her forehead scrunched into creases as she tried to discern what he pulled out.

It wasn't until he held it out to her that she saw the silver gleam of a blade. It was a knife, when she looked at it all she saw was the girl from District 3. Suddenly the whistling of the wind sounded like the song of the sonar eels. She crooked her head up in disgust at the dark memory.

Her eyes twitched from the knife to Marius' face.

_For you_, he mouthed to her, stretching it closer to Pandora.

She tightened her lips with a nod as she snatched it from him and discarded the rusty shard of metal.

The blade was long and serrated. When she attached it to her belt she could feel the weight interrupted the rhythm of her footsteps.

Snow collected on her dark hair but she didn't bother dusting it off, her brain barely comprehended the cold anymore.

When they turned the corner she could see smoke rising in the distance. They were entering the heart of the arena.

Her lips worriedly rubbed together. Pandora recalled the beginning of the Games, when the countdown had started. She hadn't dared to return this close to the cornucopia. It was a risk she hadn't been willing to take and still wouldn't have if it weren't for Marius.

Her eyes closed harshly. _Soon it will be over_.

"Steady breaths," Marius whispered, when she opened her eyes she realized he was motioning for her to follow him to the edge of the alley.

Immediately she followed his orders, trying to keep herself composed as they inched into the shadows. Her back pressed against the corner of the brick building. There were no signs of life, only the falling snow and Marius' breath blowing on the back of her neck.

He was pressed close to her. She dropped her eyes to see his hand adjust the metal club he had pulled out of his bag.

"Look."

She arched her eyebrow at Marius before following his gaze to the night sky.

_The moon enters umbra. _

Instantly it grew darker. The partial eclipse had started.

Her heart began racing but she steadied her breath, just as Marius had told her.

"Won't be long now," he whispered.

She peered into the night. They were at the edge of the square. The cornucopia was barely visible, but its metallic shine gleamed at Pandora as an indicator of their positioning and distance from the center.

"If the lunar eclipse happens, how will we see what we're doing?" She murmured to her ally.

Marius didn't respond with words but she could feel him shrug in ignorance.

Again she glanced from the shadows into the square. For all she knew Scorch and Petro were waiting on the other side of the darkness, waiting with blood lust in their eyes and weapons in their hands. Instinctively she lowered her hand to the hilt of her knife.

Apart from retrieving the package, they didn't have a plan. Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. Perhaps it was a positive thing that they would be in darkness. If the eclipse blackened the square, then Pandora and Marius could slip in without being noticed and steal the package out from under the Careers. It was unlikely but she was willing to believe in anything at this point.

"Steady breaths," Marius repeated, this time brushing his hand against her forearm.

She corner-eyed him. Her breathing had deepened without her realizing it. The angst was mounting.

"Don't be afraid, I'm right here."

She looked away. He was trying to comfort her. It was a lost cause. Words didn't help anymore.

Soberly she dared another gander at the moon. Her eyes widened.

_The moon enters second umbra. _

Hurriedly she adjusted her posture and peered around.

There was only stillness.

"The eclipse. Something should be happening right," the wind disguised the whisper, but Marius heard every word.

He shook his head and tapped on her should before pointing up at the moon, "It's not a full eclipse yet."

Hatred rose inside her. The Gamemakers were drawing it out. The audience probably loved this. All the anticipation of what's going to happen next or, more importantly, who's going to die next. She wanted scream but she couldn't find words, and even if there were words, she knew better.

Her fingers searched her arm for the scar the tracking device had left. The audience watching knew exactly where every Tribute was right now. Paranoia urged her to peer around.

That was when it happened. A violent boom crashed through the sky. Sudden, loud and ear piercing. It reverberated through the buildings of the arena, causing both Pandora and Marius to cup their hands over their ears. It felt like Pandora's brain was being scrambled. Her eyes lifted to the sky just in time to see the last slice of silver light disappear. Suddenly the moon took on a dark and rusty hue. Obscurity surrounded them.

_The Total Eclipse._

All the stars in the sky faded, like someone had turned a switch off. All that was left was a black void.

It was so dark that Pandora could barely see Marius' face. Though she felt him nearby she wanted to see his face and know that everything would be okay.

Swiftly the echoing vanished.

Initially there was calm, only the song of snowfall and wind, but then she saw it, gliding in from some unknown origin in the sky.

It was a parachute, bigger than the one that had sent her the medicine. This was huge. Although she couldn't grasp the entirety of it, she could imagine how wide the canvas stretched.

Gently it fell from the sky, almost on cue. She could hear the wind ripple around it. Her mouth dropped open when she caught a glimpse of the mark. It was a box, roughly the size of a large chest.

"Get ready," Marius whispered.

Pandora wiggled her toes in anticipation. Her body lurched forward and her hands grazed the handle of her knife.

She watched as the package disappeared into the shadow of skeleton buildings.

Her ears barely had time to pick up the loud thud of the box landing before unexpected light blasted from the ground.

Pandora yelped in panic.

Her eyes burned.

The light was blinding. Her feet stumbled backwards in haste. Suddenly she felt hands on her. Another shout roared from Pandora as she jerked her head back just in time to see Marius wrap his arms around her torso. He was carrying her a few feet into the alley, where shadows waited.

"What's going on!? Where's it coming from?!" She yelled in panic.

Marius pressed his hand against her mouth, shutting her up and staring into her eyes with concern.

She clenched her jaw and hardened her eyes, quickly remembering herself. Once he had let go she unsheathed the knife and turned back towards the square. That was when she realized where the strange light was coming from.

Her lips parted in disbelief.

From the cracks and grooves of the cobblestone square, warm light filtered through. Her heart dropped. The Gamemakers wanted the audience to see everything that was about to happen.

The light had a strange effect. It seeped through the cracks, expelling strange beams of light throughout the square and illuminating the large clearing with irregular bouts of brightness. It was as if the Gamemakers had taken a giant light bulb and placed it under a cracked and dirtied piece of glass. The light was slowly melting the snow and ice around it. Only the piles of rubble and debris were in dark zones.

Her eyes traveled across the square and froze. Muscles in her arm and neck went rigid, for a second her breath stopped.

Petro and Scorch.

The warm light illuminated their menacing faces. As soon as she locked eyes with them, they saw her.

"Well if it isn't District 7!" Scorch's voice ricocheted off of the surrounding buildings.

It was the first time she had seen him since the sewers. In his hands was sword but she could see that he had a bow and quiver of arrows tucked behind his back.

Pandora twitched her eyes to the package. It had landed right in between the Careers and them.

"Marius—"

He took a few confident strides forward, adjusting the club in his hand.

"Run. As fast as you can run to the box."

Her eyes stayed on Scorch, "Marius, something's off."

She could feel the muscles in her leg spasm in preparation.

"_I said run!_"

His words were so violent and commanding that her feet started moving. Without missing a beat she broke into a run, not realizing she had until she heard her own footsteps. Marius was to her side.

When she flew into the square she could feel the light from the cracks heat up the soles of her boots. Heat rose through the cracks and thawed her face. It was the first time she had felt warmth, but it wasn't comfortable, it was sweltering. Instantly she felt sweat form on the nape of her neck and brow.

Her eyes twitched up. They were getting closer, but so were the Careers.

The snow kissed her cheeks as she pushed herself forward, hopping over piles of debris and rubble. She was the fastest out of all three and she knew it.

Her brow furrowed in sudden determination. She could make it there—but then she made a mistake.

Her head twisted to the side, she wanted to see Marius and know that he was right behind her. As she peered back to look at him, she forgot her footing. Abruptly she felt her toe hitched under a rock. Before she knew it she was falling to the ground.

Her fingers spread apart and her palms hit the cobblestones. Pain. Searing pain. She screamed in anguish. The heat from the light was burning her skin. She could hear it sizzle as she fell onto her butt and started to crawl backwards. Her eyes dropped to her palms, zigzags were branded into her skin.

Marius darted towards her.

"No! Get the box!" She wailed, trying to find her footing.

He didn't listen.

She jerked her head away and peered towards the landing zone. A long note of alarm hummed from her. Petro had gotten to the box first. He was using a piece of iron to pry open the top.

When Marius picked her up she tried to push him away.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, pointing towards the package, "The box!"

Marius looked to where she was gesturing and glowered.

"You stay here."

He tried to walk away but Pandora grabbed him by his jacket, "No, we should go!"

Marius bared his teeth and looked back at Petro, "Sorry, Pandora, it's not your choice."

He wrestled away form her and started running.

"No!"

She reached out for him but he was too fast.

By the time she looked back at Petro, he had successful opened the box. Her eyes wandered around. She could see Scorch, he the farthest away.

Pandora knew she had to move but her feet froze. She could smell the soles of her boots melting but didn't care.

It was when she saw Petro lift the lid from the box that she gasped.

"Marius!" Her voice shrilly called out to her friend, her eyes filled with nightmarish dread.

She read the word one more time.

There, in big black letters was a single word.

**QUARANTINE**

It was a trick.

Marius saw it just as she did. His feet slid as he came to a halt. His eyes widened.

She could hear Petro laughing in jubilation, not knowing what he had just cracked opened.

Pandora broke into a run. Even though she knew that they had to get as far away from that box as possible, she wasn't going to leave Marius.

Her feet reached him just as tremors rippled through the square and an explosion bellowed. Reflections of fire and smoke shown in her brown irises.

She screamed, feeling Marius pull her in. The shakes of the explosion crooned throughout the square.

Her face contorted into a strained grimaced as she felt her ears ring. Though Marius was trying to hold Pandora up, her feet stumbled over loose rocks and sent her flying into a pile of rubble.

The cannon fired.

When she looked up to the landing zone she shrieked. In place of the box was a device.

Her eyes spastically glanced a few inches over to see Petro. His limbs were mangled and bloody. Through his chest was a shard of metal.

In horror Pandora cupped her hand over her mouth and screamed. His eyes were lifelessly staring at her, half his face had been blown away by the explosion.

"Pandora! Get up! We need to get out of here!"

_Buzzing. _ It was the unnatural sound of buzzing. But it wasn't long before the buzzing, low and garbled, quickly turned into distinct clicks. It was coming from the device.

She wanted to get up but her body didn't let her. Suddenly the clicking heightened and the device lit up. In a matter of heartbeats strange smoke started to filter out of the contraption's metallic chambers.

The curls of smoke hugged the ground but moved fast.

Marius staggered back in terror, "Pandora, get up _now_!"

She heard herself cry out as she clumsily climbed to her feet. Before she started running she caught Scorch's scream on the wind, but no cannon sounded.

The smoke was gliding across the square like a synthesized monster. They were running as fast they could, but it wasn't fast enough. Within seconds a suffocating burn filled her lungs and her eyes began to tear up, it was only slight discomfort, discomfort that she could power through. When she glanced at the ground she could see the smoke all around them.

The ache in her lungs scarcely had time to register before she heard Marius scream. Immediately she squinted her eyes and looked up. He was keeled over and crying. It sounded like a wild animal was mauling him. Although the toxic smoke made Pandora's throat and eyes feel scratchy it was by no means excruciating.

"Marius!?" It was hard to see him through the haze of smoke.

He stumbled closer, trying to gasp for air. When he looked at her she could see blood vessels breaking in his eye.

Without hesitating she ran to Marius, throwing his arm over her shoulder and dragging him towards the end of the square. He was much taller than she was and the weight of his body was hard to handle, but she refuse to stop. Her eyes lifted. They were close to the edge. Only a few more steps and they would be in the clear. She coughed out the smoke, tensing as she heard Marius' shouts of misery.

By the time they reached the alleyway she was out of gas. She tossed Marius onto the snowy ground and spun around, preparing to see the smoke follow them, but it hadn't. Her back straightened in surprise. The curls of smoke vanished at the end of the square. She bowed her head closer, noticing that the smoke was filtering underground somewhere. Apparently they had reached a safe sector.

Suddenly the strange underground lights went off. Darkness shrouded them. It was cold again. Pandora could feel the heat drift away from her body.

"Pa—Pandora."

Marius could barely speak.

She peered to him, grabbing a bottle of water before kneeling to his side. It was only a brief moment before the sweat on her brow had evaporated because of the cold. Pandora tried to give him water but he coughed it out, wheezing for more air.

"I feel like—I can't—I can't breathe."

"Woah, woah," Slowly she stroked his cheek and loosened the collar of his jacket, "Steady breaths, remember? Just breathe slowly."

He slackened his breathing, staring deeply into Pandora's eyes as he tried to calm himself.

They sat there for several minutes, Marius trying to regain his strength and Pandora wondering why she hadn't felt the same effects he had. In small increments she gave him water.

"Scorch?"

Gravely Pandora looked away, "I only heard one cannon go off."

"Damn," he groaned, leaning his head back into the snow.

She screwed the cap onto the bottle and glanced around, "We should probably leave. It's not safe here. He could be nearby, waiting to finish us off. Are you strong enough to move?"

Marius remained still for a moment, "I think I can."

She attempted a smile but he could tell it was forced, "Good, you feel okay?"  
As he sat up he lifted his hand to his head and nodded, "I feel much better. Damn it—" he gasped as he maneuvered his legs, "You're right," she could hear him wince as she helped him to his feet, "We should get out of here."

He tried to walk but Pandora stopped him, "Marius—" she scanned his face, noticing the sickly look in his eyes, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Instead of responding he pushed her aside, walking like a drunk into the night.

She followed close behind, cautiously looking around for any more traps. From time to time she would rush to his side, sure that he was going to fall to the ground in pain, but he never did.

They walked for a long time before Pandora lifted her eyes and noticed that the eclipse was waning.

"I should have listened to you."

His voice was rough, but she was glad to hear the familiar tone in his words.

"It doesn't matter, Marius. Not anymore."

"You were right," she could hear him struggling to walk, "How stupid could I be. I actually thought that something important was in that box."

Her eyes dropped.

"At least you're alright," she finally managed to say.

He coughed violently, laughing a little bit before he spoke, "It's going to take a lot more than a little bit of smoke to finish me off. You can't get rid of me that easy."

She felt him nudge her. Slowly she let herself smile.

They were climbing the building. It would only be a few more minutes before they could rest. Pandora could hear Marius quickening his pace up the icy steps.

She helped him to the hearth and started stacking dry wood from their packs. The snow had stopped falling, now was the only time she could properly make a fire and make sure that Marius was warm. Her nose crinkled as she lit the match and a puff of sulfur flew into the air.

It wasn't until she had fashioned a makeshift tent over them and looked up at Marius that a ball formed in her throat.

Her eyes narrowed in concern. She could feel her mouth become dry. She hadn't had time to notice it before. With all the running and smoke there was no way she could have, but now she saw it.

From his ears blood was dripping.

He quizzically smiled, corner-eyeing her as he lifted his hand to the side of his face.

She watched as he felt the running blood with his finger, "Hmm—I must have hit my head when we were running."

_It wasn't from being hit_, there was no way she could have known this but inside doubt fluttered. She tried to swallow her unease but it showed in her eyes.

"Pandora?" He laughed tiredly, "What's the matter with you?"

Her eyes dropped to the blood on his fingertips and then back up to his face.

"Nothing," she lied, "It's nothing."


	14. Catalyzation

_Catalyzation _

_He was struck by how peaceful the dead bodies looked. Like porcelain dolls with the moonlight on their faces. _

_All in a row, their pale skin shone in the night's radiance. _

_Each one becoming parts of the landscape, stagnant gargoyles lacing the hillside with the shells of the people they used to be. _

_They were waiting for dawn to break, for crimson light to spill across the sky. A dawn that would never come. Not for them, those sleeping corpses strewn across the forest._

_Had the vines and foliage had time to grow they would have swallowed up the bodies with damp dirt. Dirt that had been there long before they were born, and would be there long after they had died. _

_Their skeletons would become the monuments to the past, their bones bleached by the dull winter sun. _

_It was as if they would open their eyes at any moment, suddenly springing to life with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. But that would never happen. _

_Death filled their eyes. Their jaws were contorted into animalistic grins. They were laughing, he could almost hear it, he was sure. Macabre and sinister laughs disguised their words, but he knew what they were singing to him. _

_For one last time he looked back. Staring into the void of mangled corpses. _

"_Soon, Marius," they crooned, "Soon." _

A deep gasp grotesquely ruptured from Marius as he came to. Before he had a chance to open his eyes, coughs stung his throat.

**EXPOSURE. HOUR 5. **

Loose fabric from a tear in the roof of the tent flapped in the wind. His eyelashes fluttered and his vision focused. Snow was falling through the hole, onto his face. He felt fatigued, that was the only way to describe it. Though he could move he didn't want to.

Groggily, he turned his head, feeling his the icy cloth of his backpack press against his cheek. Pandora was sleeping a few feet away. He had given her the blanket but when he looked at her he noticed she was curled into a ball, with nothing keeping her warm but the clothing on her back.

It wasn't until he moved his fingers and lowered his eyes that he noted the edge of a blanket tucked close to his shoulder. She had waited for him to fall asleep before giving it to him.

His lips curled and his eyes returned to the hole in the tent. There was no sense of time. It was permanent night.

"Get up," he whispered to himself.

His fingers dug into the ground as he rocked his upper body forward. Immediately his head felt foggy. Something was off.

His hand lifted to the side of his head, "It must be the cold."

But it wasn't the cold. It was something much worse.

He groaned as he pulled the blanket off his body and slid towards Pandora. Marius threw the blanket over her body, gently tucking it around her neck. For a moment he smiled, observing her peaceful face. However as he continued to study her, his hands tensed. The image of the corpses from his nightmare muddled his vision. Suddenly Pandora's skin looked sallow and lifeless.

He cupped his hand over his mouth and drew back with a scream. The heels of his boot violently shuffled against the ground.

The ruckus caused Pandora to snap her eyes open. The first thing she saw was Marius' blue eyes glimmering in fear.

"Marius?" She tiredly asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "What's going on?"

"You're dead—" coughs interrupted his words, "You—I saw—"

She jerked her head around in confusion, "What?"

He lifted his hand and shook his head, "They're all dead."

Pandora parted her lips in fear, crawling towards him gradually. Her eyes softened as she reached out for him, "Marius, it's me. It's Pandora."

"You were dead," she could hear his voice shake.

Finally her fingertips reached his hand. She tried to hold back the gasp. His hands were burning up. It was then that she noticed he was sweating.

"It's okay," she whispered, inching even closer, "I'm not dead. Look—" She held his hand, "I'm right here."

Marius blinked his eyes slowly, as if he was seeing a mirage. When he licked his lips he could taste his salty sweat.

"The square—"

"It's all over," Pandora cooed, rubbing his back, "We're fine. We got away."

"I had a nightmare."

He sounded like a child, crying out for comfort. The tone of his voice made Pandora grimace but she tried to hide it. Cautiously she pulled him closer to her, hugging his head to her chest, "Shh—it was just a dream."

It felt like his skin was on fire.

Marius buried his face into her jacket and grabbed a handful of the fabric, "I think I need—I think I need water."

She nodded, pushing him away before she unzipped her jacket and pulled out a half-filled bottle of water.

"Easy does it. We have all the time in the world."

She heard him pant as he tilted his head up and allowed her to trickle water into his mouth. When he pulled back and looked at her she could see a strange red ring around his irises.

Unexpectedly his muscles went limp and his head rolled back a little. Pandora struggled to set his head gently on his pack.

"I'm so tired," he wheezed.

She placed her hands on either side of his face, "Just sleep. You're okay."

Whimpers scratched from his throat, "I'm afraid."

"Shh—shh—" Pandora wanted to cry. _What was happening?_

"Just sleep," She kept her voice calm, but inside she was screaming.

Marius grabbed her wrist and widened his eyes, "Don't leave me."

"I won't."

"Please—" she could see tears brimming in his eyes, "I don't want to be alone."

She furrowed her brow and nodded, "Of course, Marius. Just sleep. I'll look after you."

His hand slipped to the ground with a knock. His eyes started to close. Afraid to leave his side Pandora stayed, leaning over his face in fear.

The pathogen was evolving.

**EXPOSURE. HOUR 10. **

Despite the cold and the biting fear in every inch of Pandora's body, she had fallen asleep. Her body bowed close to Marius, the wind frigidly caused her dark hair to dance around her face.

She had told herself that she would only keep her eyes closed for a minute but the minutes turned into hours. Pandora had been so tired that she barely noticed the warmth disappear to her side.

_Snaps_. Sharp and defined.

Her eyes squinted open, her hands reached out for Marius only to feel the cold.

"Marius?" She could see her breath rise towards the ceiling of the tent.

There was no response. Her palms dug into the snow as she lifted her torso up and peered from left to right.

"Marius?" She repeated, furrowing her brow in panic.

_Snaps_. Faster this time.

Startled, she climbed to her feet and twitched her eyes around. The snaps were coming from outside. She licked her dry lips and reached for the curtain of the tent. The tarp was stiff and cold to the touch as her hand drew back the fabric. At first she couldn't see anything. With the snow falling and the darkness it was hard to distinguish anything, but the clouds soon parted.

Her head tilted in astonishment. Marius had his back turned to her, he was sitting at the edge of the roof. She could tell that he was swaying back in forth. The snapping sounded again. It was coming from him.

"Soon," she heard him whisper, his voice sounded distorted.

Carefully she moved her foot forward. The snow crunching beneath her boot caused Marius to stop swaying. Suddenly the snaps ceased, and Pandora could see his back go rigid.

Her lips parted, she couldn't explain why but she was terrified.

Animalistically his head crooked to the side, she could see his profile in the moonlight. When he turned his face all the way around her shoulders tightened.

"What are you doing!?"

"Marius—" She lifted her hands in the air, "Your face—"

She tried to disguise the horror. Marius's face was sickly, even through the darkness she could see that the red ring around his irises had intensified.

"What the hell are you looking at!?"

He sounded enraged.

She shook her head in fear and took a step back.

"You don't think I know what you're doing? I know what you're doing, you disgusting little whore!"

"Marius!" She narrowed her eyes in confusion and insult.

A growl echoed from him as he faltered to his feet and walked towards her. It was then that she saw blood trickling out of his ears again.

"You're with the Careers—"

"No!"

"—I know it. You were sneaking up on me to kill me!"

She could feel the blood rushing out of her cheeks, "Marius, what are you talking about?"

Another growl, this time teamed with a ferocious expression, "You think I'm stupid?!"

"Just sit down, please—I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bitch—"

Pandora gasped as her back hit the cloth of the tent. Her eyes twitched around and her lips tightened.

"I'll kill you before you kill me!"

He lunged for her instantly. She had no time to brace herself. When his body hit hers a scream of pain rang out. Half her face slammed into the snow and her hip hitched on something sharp.

"Marius! Please!"

She balled her hands into fists and started hitting, her body thrashed underneath his weight. Her lips trembled as she looked at Marius' face, up close he looked like a living corpse.

"Mar—"

Before she could say his name again, he wrapped his hands around her throat. Her shriek was muffled by his tightening grip. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she pummeled his back, shoulders and face.

"You're a traitor."

Her eyes bulged, she couldn't breath, not anymore. He had cut off her oxygen, but still her head spastically shook. _No_, she mouthed, clawing at the ground.

She was trying to reach for anything she could defend herself with but all she felt was snow. Then she remembered it, the knife at her belt. Her hand urgently moved to the blade, her eyes were beginning to role in the back of her head. When she felt the hilt of it she forced herself to look at Marius.

Quickly she unsheathed the knife and slashed at his side. The pain caused him to release her neck and stagger backward.

Frosty oxygen suddenly surged back into Pandora's lungs, it burned at first and she wanted to rest but as she looked at the blood dripping from her knife she knew she couldn't.

Her hand grabbed at her neck, already bruises had started to form. She forced her body into a standing position and widened her footing before lifting the knife in the air and looking back at Marius.

He was staring at his bloody hand. It was as if the crazed animal had left his body. In confusion he glanced between the minor wound in his side to Pandora, wielding a knife. His eyes blinked in a daze. "Pandora? What happened?"

She narrowed her eyes, refusing to stand down. "You attacked me."

"What? No, I wouldn't do that—" his eyes dropped to the blood on his hands.

"You did," she angrily replied, shifting her weight and maintaining her defensive stance, "You came at me like a rabid dog!"

Marius grabbed his head and moaned. He moaned as if he were in pain. The memories began flooding back. "I didn't mean to," it came out like a sobbing child, "What's happening to me?"

Pandora softened her eyes, though she kept the knife pointed towards him. She knew the answer, she had known the second they left the square, "It's the smoke. It must have been a disease carrier."

"But you—you're not sick."

She furrowed her brow. It was true she felt fine. Minus the cold and the fatigue she felt the same as always.

"I'm sorry—" he whispered, "Please don't leave me."

Her eyes twitched back to him. She hesitated for a moment, but slowly her hand lowered and her posture loosened. He stumbled towards her, confused and disoriented. When he wrapped his hands around her she could feel his sweaty face press against hers and how fast his heart was racing.

"Please forgive me—please."

She stared into the night, parting her lips for a moment before she spoke. "Of course," she finally managed to say, she reciprocated the hug with doubt.

"Thank you."

She could hear him laugh in relief, but she couldn't bring herself to smile. He was sick with something the Capitol had cooked up. She gnashed her teeth in sudden realization. There was a reason why she hadn't shown symptoms, why the smoke had barely affected her. She could see her quaking breath rise into the darkness as it sunk in. It was a memory she hadn't thought about since she entered the arena. The night before the Games, Officer Adric Pedersen had been waiting for her in her room. He had taken a vial of blood and injected her with a serum. Her eyes filled with disgust. He had given her the antidote to the disease. That was Snow's way of making sure she got out of the Games alive.

"I'm so tired, Pandora,"

Her muscles tensed, she tried to hold back the tears but she couldn't.

"I know," she whispered back, her fingers adjusted the hilt of the knife in her hand. She pulled her head back and nodded to Marius, "Everything will be fine. I'm not leaving you."

Her hand lifted behind his head.

When she bashed the hilted of her knife against his skull he instantly knocked out. His body fell to the ground. Blood dripped out of the gash.

In emotional turmoil, Pandora stared at Marius' unconscious body and let the knife fall to the ground. Tears streamed down her face and cries of rage and sadness escaped her. She felt like she was hyperventilating, like she would crumble at any minute. Her knees dropped to the ground and her hands pressed against her face.

It took her a while to compose herself, something she forced herself into.

By the time she climbed back to her feet and wiped the tears away she had decided what she needed the ropes in her pack for.

**EXPOSURE. HOUR 15. **

He was growling. His eyes were devoid of any emotion besides fury.

She had tied him to the iron bones of the wall and was sitting several feet away. Her knees were drawn close to her chest and her eyes were narrowing in distress at Marius. In her hands she held the knife.

"Let me go!"

Her jaw clenched as his shouts were interrupted by coughs. This time blood spewed past his lips and down his neck. Some drops of the scarlet liquid splattered onto the snow.

For a moment her eyes dropped to the soiled ice.

"Look at me!"

She furrowed her brow as her eyes lifted to Marius' face. He looked like death.

"You whore!"

Slowly Pandora shook her head. Everyone in District 7 was watching them. Marius' family, August, even Lux Halstead—they were watching Marius turn into a wild animal. She felt the weight of devastation heavy on her shoulders.

As stoically as she could, she tilted her head up and stared at Marius, though it was frightening to do so. "You're not well, you need help."

"You're the sick one!" A strained laugh sounded from him, he hunched his body forward but his wrists firmly clung to the iron bones by ropes.

When his laughs had died down he wiggled against the restraints, "I'm going to kill you. You know that don't you?"

Pandora gritted her teeth. He was smiling madly through bloody teeth and lips. The sight made her stomach turn.

"I'm your friend," she whispered doubtfully.

Another laugh sounded from him, a mocking laugh.

She blinked her eyes away and rubbed the side of her head. Something needed to be done, there had to be a way to fix this. Her eyes darted around the darkness as she forced herself to think. It had been several hours since she had seen the old Marius. A monster was slowly taking over his body. He was becoming rabid and heartless, no doubt the toxic smoke's workings slowly manipulating his brain. He didn't have long, she didn't need to be a doctor to know that.

Unknowingly, she climbed to her feet and peered at the sky. Her eyes filled with sorrow as she clutched the side of her head and paced back and forth. She didn't want to stoop to the level she was about to stoop to, but there was no other choice.

"Please!" She screamed to the sky, "I need something!"

She was calling for help from anyone that would listen.

Her eyes scanned the night. Nothing responded.

Her breathing increased as she spun around, "I need to help him! Please!—" she hesitated for a moment before crying in sorrow, "Adric, please!"

For a moment there was silence. Her eyes hopelessly remained on the clouds above. And then it broke through, a deathly laugh filled with blood and malcontent. Her eyes lowered to Marius who was lurching forward with a dark expression.

"You're pathetic," he said it with a smile.

She deepened her breathes and stared at him in horror, "What is wrong with you!?" she took two firm steps forward. "Wake up, Marius!"

His body slumped backward and his bloody eyes tilted up to the sky:

"_Will we meet through the pine?_

_The way is tempered with time._"

She could have sworn her heart stopped beating. "What?"

"_I've been waiting there a long long while,_"

He was singing. It took her moment to realize the song. It was an old folk tune, more of a poem, which the lumberjacks used to sing on their way to the forests.

"Stop," she hoarsely said, narrowing her eyes in anger. This wasn't Marius.

Instead of stopping he smiled and swung his head back and forth:

"_But the woods are growing cold and dark,_

_And darling so am I._

_Will we meet through the pine?_

_The leaves are green and fine…"_

His light eyes had faded to dark orifices.

Pandora knelt to the ground and picked up the first thing she could find in the snow.

"I said shut up!" She hatefully shouted, hurling the piece of debris at him as hard as she could.

It bashed him in the shoulder causing his weight to fall against the wall with a thud.

At first he looked angry. Her feet slyly moved backwards. She stared at him in distrust, thinking he was about to scream. Instead he let out a sigh, laughing like a maniac as he did.

His laugh grew, becoming not only loud but also full and peculiar.

When he finally looked up at Pandora he spat bloody saliva on the ground, "May the odds be ever in your favor."

His laughs echoed through the night. Sending chills down her spine.

**EXPOSURE. HOUR 20. **

Nothing had come. Not from the sponsors, nor Adric. Marius had passed out a few hours before, his head was bowed as he gurgled against the blood in his lungs. Lavender circles framed Pandora's eyes. They stung from crying. As her icy fingers grabbed the collar of her coat, she gravely leaned against the frame of the tent and listened to the wind whistle.

"Soon."

Marius was whispering in his sleep. She corner-eyed him and scowled, trying to hold back the tears that burned.

Slowly her hand lifted to her face, and her eyes lowered, "I'm so sorry—" her words were interrupted by her wavering breathes, "It's all my fault."

"Pandora?"

In surprise she peered up. Marius was awake and looking at her. Self-consciously she rubbed her cheeks and leaned forward, "Marius? Is that you?"

He looked from left to right, observing his tied wrists, "Why am I tied up?"

"You don't remember?" her hand reached for the knife nearby.

Marius winced as he tried to shift his body, "What happened?"

A single tear fell down Pandora's cheek as she shook her head and rubbed her lips, "You were a monster."

"Did I attack you?"

"I'm so sorry."

"Pandora, what is happening!?"

She had to look away, "You're very ill."

Marius peered at the blood splattered on the snowy floor. His eyes closed in realization.

"I think you're dying, Marius."

His pale lips mashed together, "Pandora—"

"I know what you're going to say—no!" Hot tears poured from her eyes as she pushed her back against the tent frame, "I'm not going to."

Water was welling in his eyes, though it was hard to tell because of the blood, "You can't stop this. I don't have a chance."

"Shut up!"

He wheezed as he tried to move closer to Pandora, "Look at me, I'm walking death. I attacked you—I don't want to know what could happen if I got my hands on you."

She peered at the arm where the serum was injected, "I could give you my blood!"

"What?"

"I'm immune to the illness—" her words trembled, "—maybe if I gave you some of my blood it would help—"

"No."

"Marius—"

"I said no."

She cupped her hand over her mouth, "Please don't make me do this."

"Something's eating away at my brain, I can feel it. Like a rat—something's borrowing it's way through my brain."

She shook her head in sadness.

"I'm rabid. I need to be put down."

"I won't!"

Tears mixed with the blood and cascaded down his face. "Pandora, please," his voice was innocent, his eyes stayed on the ground, "I don't want to die a monster."

"You're giving up!" She stumbled to her feet, her whole body was shaking. "You're asking me to murder you! I can't do that—" a cry of upset echoed from her as she turned around, "I won't."

"I'm asking you, as a friend, to save me," Marius gasped for air. "I'm dying one way or another, Pandora."

She covered her face with her hands.

"You know I'm right—"

Her hands hesitantly dropped and her brown eyes stared out onto the landscape of the arena. In the distance buildings were falling into the obsidian ocean. She could hear Marius coughing up blood behind her.

"Pandora?"

Her back was turned away from him.

"Please—"

She lowered her eyes. Trembling through tears as she moved back towards the tent. The knife was cold as she picked it up and started towards Marius. She refused to look at him. Even when she knelt beside him her eyes remained on the blade.

Up close she could smell the blood and hear his failing lungs.

"I just—please look at me—"

She clenched her jaw and shook her head.

"I want to see your eyes."

Devastation was filtering into every part of her being, but it was what her friend wanted. Slowly Pandora looked into his eyes, cradling the knife in her lap.

He smiled, not like before, not madly—this time the smile was boyish and young. His hands reached out for her face. Though his fingers were bloody she let him caress her cheek.

"Tell me about home before I go."

Her brow furrowed in grief, her mouth was dry.

"Anything about home."

She could feel the blood being smeared on her cheek but ignored it.

"You were remember springtime?"

He calmly nodded, "Tell me about it."

"In the morning the flowers bloom, and you can smell them all around you. And during the equinox we celebrate, everyone wears white and dances. Raff Wellwood always plays pranks on the Mayor—this year he switched the quail at the festival for—"

His smile grew, "A pile of pinecones."

Tears gently fell from her eyes but she laughed, "Yes."

"T—tell me more."

"And at night Lena Whitacre would dance. She danced so beautifully, with flowers in her hair."

Marius' eyes filled with quiet happiness at the memory, "Lena—"

"Yes."

"I think I was in love with her. But that feels like a long time ago."

Pandora scanned his face with despair.

"She danced like an angel," he continued, leaning his head against the wall and looking up at the sky. His neck stayed crooked like that for several heartbeats before he spoke again: "I would have liked to see the stars on more time."

Pandora nodded, following his gaze. "They're there. Waiting past the clouds."

Marius grinned, "Waiting for me."

She could feel his eyes on her. Without looking at him she grabbed the knife from her lap. It took all the courage in her body to peer into his eyes. Her heart darkly thumped against her ribcage as she raised the blade, placing the point towards his heart.

He blinked his eyes only once, keeping his smile. "Everything will be alright," She wanted to run away, but she couldn't. Her lips pursed as she felt his hand reach out for her once more, "I believe in you."

"G—" she felt like she was suffocating, she could barely find her breath, "Goodbye, my friend."

He blinked his eyes in understanding, placing his hand on top of hers, "I'll miss you."

She closed her eyes and grated her teeth as she forced the blade through his chest and into his heart. She could feel the grip of his hand tighten on her and heard him gasp but as she shoved the blade further his hand dropped.

"I'm so sorry—" she whispered, feeling the life leave his body. When she opened her eyes she saw his glassy irises twinkling in the night. Harshly, Pandora drew her hand back, leaving the blade in his chest.

A scream of agony wretched from her as she crawled backward and stared at Marius' body. Warm blood coated her hand and no matter how much she tried to rub it off, it was soaked into every pore, every crease.

She strained to climb to her feet but could barely stand for a second before falling back to the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she spastically crawled to the tent and grabbed her bag.

When she started to run, she heard it as clear and distinct as a peel of a bell. The boom of the cannon. The signal of Marius' death. She had killed him.

Her eyes burned with rage as she escaped into the night.

It was a burden Pandora Sullivan would have to live with for the rest of her life. Her heart ached, an ache she knew would never heal.


	15. Dead End

_Dead End _

She had cried all night. Though Pandora was exhausted from lack of food and water she could barely feel anything but the tragedy of Marius' death. Again and again her mind went over the way it felt to plunge a knife into his heart and watch his life slip away, like a blade of grass past her fingertips.

She was curled in a ball and shaking. Whether it was from the cold or the trauma Pandora didn't know. The warehouse she was in left little to be desired, but she didn't care. She only hoped that the cameras weren't watching how pitiful she looked, but they would be.

There were only two competitors now. Scorch was still alive.

Her cracked lips feebly wrinkled as she thought of all the people that had died. The girl from District 3 being ravaged by the sonar eels, Wisty's neck been snapped like a twig, Petro's skewered body…all those deaths had led to this. No longer did she feel the need to be brave or strong, all of those attributes were replaced by something darker. Inside she felt hollow.

Waves of tremors stirred the ground. They had been increasing in strength within the past hour.

Briefly, Pandora lifted her eyes to the frosty windows. It was hard to see anything but she was sure sediment was rising close by. The warehouse was a few blocks from the square and apparently so was the ocean. It didn't take long for Pandora to grow used to the quakes.

Her hands struggled to find the ground as she pushed her weight upward and pressed her back against the wall. Her cheeks had sunken in from grief and malnourishment. Her brown eyes looked dull.

Death was near. This was something she knew without a shadow of a doubt. Whether she was going to accept it or not was the true mystery. Soundlessly she crossed her arms and blinked her eyes around the cavernous factory. If she died in the arena it could all be over: the pain, the guilt, and lies. After all, what was waiting for her at the end of this when she survived? She had signed a contract with President Snow that had given him free reign of her life. With a few glides of the pen she had turned herself into a commodity. Her lips curled as she remembered the conditions of their deal, after the Victory Tour she would never see her family again. The weight of her decisions felt suffocating. Her body lurched forward and her eyes moved around the vacant room like cat eyes. Pandora had two choices: either fight to keep yourself alive and ensure your family's health and safety, even though you won't be able to see them live out the rest of their lives, or die in the arena. Truly the latter tasted sweeter in her mouth than the former. No matter how she cut it, she was the one that would be left alone.

A series of quakes caused her body to pulsate.

Pandora had been so caught up in her thoughts that she scarcely noticed the light that was suddenly drifting in through the panes of glass. Slowly, her eyes shifted to the glacial windows and her mouth widened in shock. _The sun was rising_.

Repressing the exhaustion lingering in every bone in her body, Pandora pulled herself to her feet and ran for the exit of the warehouse. As she sprinted through the tunnel of rooms and antechambers she set her gaze on every window that flashed past her.

Her hands ached as she reached for the door and thrust it open, jumping into the open air. She raised her eyes to the sky in amazement. The sight of daylight was otherworldly, as if Pandora had forgotten sunshine and light. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled around the snow, convinced it was a mirage.

In that moment she was captivated. The spark of life glimmered inside her, warming her with comfort and nourishment she had long neglected. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she watched the light melt across the skyline with warm golds and blues.

Swiftly she ran back into the warehouse and darted up the steps. She could feel her muscles strain as she ascended the levels of the warehouse, but her legs didn't stop. When she finally reached the roof of the building, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Wind blasted her body with painful needles of ice but it was all worth it for the view.

"The sun…" she whispered breathlessly, crying through a smile that hurt her mouth.

She gazed at the sky, worried to look away for fear that it would disappear, afraid that darkness would surround her again.

Wisps of a coming storm picked up on faint purple hues, but the golden light overpowered those clouds in that brief moment. The sun burned brighter than she had ever imagined it would.

Her ears barely heard the sound of her footsteps as she walked to the precipice of the building and steadily breathed in. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze stir her hair and coat. At first it was peaceful, but the longer she kept her eyes closed the more the delight of the sun faded away. By the time she had opened them again the smile had dropped.

It hit her like a train…she knew what she wanted. The realization of her fate caused goosebumps to rise all over her skin. Her doe eyes lowered to the ground.

"Soon," she whispered Marius' words to herself, forming an altogether different meaning with that single syllable.

Pandora looked at the sunrise and clenched her jaw, "No more running."

She knew they were watching, the cameras and all of Panem. She knew they were hanging on every word, unsure of what was going to happen next. Her lips faintly lifted at the corners. A smirk so charming and calm it even surprised her, a smirk just for everyone back home. It was the least she could give them.

Her fingers gently adjusted the straps of her pack and her boots began the trek.

She was going to the square. That was where this was going to end, one way or another.

The alleyways seemed tighter as she wove her way through them. It was a quiet. All around her snow covered the eaves of buildings and ground, which quaked in response to the tremors. At times she had to balance her steps against the shaking arena, clutching the callous brick wall with her fingertips. But none of this stopped her. The wind bit through her cloths, whistling secrets to her as she trudged onward.

The fleeting sunlight spilled rays through the clouds and onto the snow. The thick powder glistened like diamonds in the grey. Her boots plunged deep into the snow, slowing her walk.

There was a sense of desertion, of isolation, as if she was already alone and no other Tributes remained. Although Pandora tried to keep her footsteps quiet, her tiredness and apathy wouldn't allow it. Her gaze drifted around the nooks and crannies of the buildings and roads. She felt the sedative numbness that often follows the hollow inside her.

Her feet stopped as she arrived at the edge of the square.

Watchfully, Pandora twitched her eyes across the void that lay before her, taking in every inch of the cornucopia, debris, and buildings. Smoke rose from various hotspots throughout the square. The air was still.

Keeping her eyes and ears open she took a definite step forward, pausing with caution. She half expected the toxic smoke to suddenly seep out of the cracks in the cobblestone, but there was nothing.

With a confident inhale she started forward. While she walked she noticed the various bloodstains and splatters of dead Tributes, but it didn't affect or slow her steps. Though she didn't allow it to show on her face, Pandora was frightened that blood no longer shocked her. Her eyes moved to the cornucopia, her pace slackening at the sight of the small metal structure. It was barren and lonely. The sheen of silver blinded her for a moment before she blinked her eyes away.

With a tightened jaw she shrugged the straps of her pack off her shoulders and tossed it to the ground. Suspiciously, she peered up to the tops of buildings and shattered windows along the faces of the skeleton facades. He had to be close. Only a few blocks lingered around the square.

Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Scorch!"

She could hear her voice echo through the square and further, towards the sea.

Her lips tensed as she spun around, "Scorch!"

She screamed his name as loud as she could, telling him exactly where she was and taunting him to come out. In her hands and her pack were no weapons, but she didn't care. She had made her decision.

In response the wind sang.

Her eyes darted around. There was no movement.

The memory of Marius' rabidity triggered a glimmer of fear to slice through her. Scorch had screamed when the toxic gas had made its appearance, she remembered this. That meant he had been exposed to the rabid disease.

She hesitated for a moment, but shook off the growing apprehension.

"Scorch!"

Still nothing. Her nostrils flared as she glanced at the pinnacles of surrounding buildings once more.

Crashes sounded far away. The buildings were falling. She could hear the sea flowing closer.

Her screams continued. She screamed so long and hard that when she finally decided to stop her throat felt raw and battered. In anger her eyes twitched around the square. She wasn't going to hide, she was going to wait. The coldness of the snow penetrated her black trouser as she lowered herself to the ground.

Time passed. Pandora couldn't be sure how much time, but it felt like an eternity. Though she could see the wind blowing snow off the edges of roofs and hear it whistle, she couldn't feel it on her face. Her hands nervously fiddled with the zipper of her coat.

Vibrations increased and deepened. She could feel through the soles of her boots that the quakes were coming closer. Dust and debris rose through the air around the square. Her head turned from left to right to see the cloud of collapsed buildings surrounding her.

Suddenly, a single yell rang out. It cut through the cold like a knife.

Pandora jumped to her feet, carefully peering around. Sediment was everywhere. It was impossible to see anything. Even the wind muddled the origin of the bellow. She looked around tensely. It wasn't until the sediment started to settle that she saw him.

Scorch appeared out of the dust. In his hand was a sword. From the look of him, Pandora could tell that the toxic smoke had done its work. His eyes were bleeding and the contours of his face looked jagged and animalistic. They were several strides away from each other, but everything in Pandora's body told her she was too close to him.

Her stance widened and her eyes focused. He was staring right at her. She tilted her head up, swallowing the doubt in her mouth.

Unexpectedly the snow started falling. The last snowfall Pandora would experience in the arena.

She gripped her hands into fists and rubbed her lips together. The countdown started in her head like a hum. She counted all the people that had died in and outside of the arena. She counted all the memories that raped her mind. Her father teaching her how to whittle, August's blue eyes, Dash's laugh—and then something broke through all of those memories. It was the song, the one Marius had crooned. She realized then why he had sung the words. Remembrance, not delusional, had bled the song out of him. The song that Pandora had only recently remembered, the song that would stay with her till her dying breath.

Slowly her lips parted into a smile:

"_Will we meet through the pine?_

_The way is tempered with time._

_I've been waiting there a long long while._

_But the woods are growing cold and dark, _

_And darling so am I." _

Her song was a whisper, but she knew that everyone back home was watching. It was her lament. Scorch heard it also. His bloody eyes narrowed in confusion, however his posture persisted defensively, just as his training had taught him. Pandora licked her lips in thought and took in a few silent breaths. She hadn't been trained for this, but she was here and she wouldn't go down without a fight.

She nodded her head firmly and straightened her back:

"_Will we meet through the pine?_

_The leaves are green and fine._

_Darling, I've a many things to show you._

_Underneath the bowing branches, _

_Our melodies sweetly shine." _

Pandora's heart began to race, but she took another step forward. Even after she stopped singing, the breeze carried her words through the square.

The snowfall thickened. Thunder and lightning unexpectedly started rumbling overhead. Her eyes squinted as they lifted to the blackening sky. The finale had started. When she lowered her eyes back down to Scorch's face she knew that it was time. Her toes wiggled inside her boots.

_One last fight, one last time_.

When she started running she noticed that Scorch was following her actions. They were running towards each other, him with a sword and her with nothing except her grief. She could feel her blood coursing through her veins, hear her heart rap against her chest. Her hands balled into fist and her feet smashed against the icy ground.

Before they had reached each other the soft rolling tremors turned into an all out earthquake. Her eyes twitched around in disbelief. The buildings surrounding the square were crumbling. Against the ice and shakes of the earth, her feet began to falter. A growl sounded from her as she body slammed Scorch, taking him down with her.

As soon as she fell to the ground a yelp of pain shuddered past her lips. Something had pierced her back. She could feel the stickiness of blood underneath her coat and sweater.

Pandora tried to get up but Scorch swiftly punched her in the jaw. Instantly she could taste her own blood.

"Just you and me, now, District 7."

His words were menacing but she let out another growl, spitting blood as him and climbing back to her feet unstably.

"Let's see what you got, District 1," she mumbled, lifting her hands into fists and narrowing her eyes. In reply he smiled at her.

Instantly the punches came. She dodged the first and second, making sure to land a solid punch to his kidney and chest, but that only slowed him down for a minute. She tried to catch her breath as her feet danced against the ice and forearms blocked his blows. His fists were coming at her so fast that she barely had time to recover before the next one came. One punch was all it took and when it happened she felt her knees buckle in pain. He had hit her in the stomach, causing her body to keel over in agony. Her hands pressed against the snow for only a moment before she pushed herself back onto her feet, not prepared for the slice of pain that traveled from her stomach to the rest of her body.

When she staggered back she noticed that Scorch had his sword in his hand, it had blood on it. Her hands moved to her torso and her eyes dropped to see blood coating her fingertip. Immediately she felt sick, the sight reminded her of Marius' blood on her hands.

"Oh—C'mon, you're not even trying now."

At the sound of his voice she peered up and stumbled backward. He was laughing, the same laugh that Marius had done in his crazed state. Her hands dropped to her side, she was struggling to stay on her feet because the earthquake was too strong. Lightning ripped across the sky.

Fearfully she shuffles through the snow, seeing a trail of a blood follow her. Suddenly the laughing stopped. Her eyes lifted to Scorch just in time to see him spring at her. When his body crashed into hers she can feel it: a rib cracking. A shriek echoed from her, her body writhed underneath Scorch in suffering.

He grabbed a handful of her hair and lifted her off the ground with ease. Another scream reeled from her lungs as he hurled her through the air, throwing her into a pile of debris. Her hands reached for a prick of pain at her ankle, but before she could feel the wound with her fingers she heard something.

Her eyes darted around. At first it was murmurs, deep and faint, but the murmurs soon heightened. It sounded like glass cracking. She grimaced as she realized that cracks were forming along the ground of the square, cracks like spider's webs.

Her breathing deepened as she clawed her way onto of the pile of rocks. She was trying to get as far away from Scorch as possible, but it was too late. She was barely halfway up when she felt him grab her ankles and pull her down. Rocks and debris scrap against her body, cutting through her clothes and skin. She tried to kick him off but he climbed on top of her. It was then that she noticed he was foaming at the mouth. Pandora tried to push Scorch away as she turned her face to the side and saw that the cracks in the ground were widening into crevices. Sections of the square were jutting into the air, while others were lowering. It was turning into a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Her brown eyes widened in terror, her hands reached for anything she could find. When she felt the shape of a rock she lifted it with all her might and bashed it across Scorch's face. Blood splattered everywhere, coating one side of her face like war paint. She flipped onto her stomach, feeling the sting of her broken rib as she started to crawl away. Pandora had made it a few inches before she felt his hands on her leg, stopping her from moving.

She peered back at him, trying to kick him off.

"Let's see how fast you are with one leg!" Bloody foam gushed out of his mouth.

Her lips parted in realization and horror, "NO!"

Suddenly he had his hands around her leg, twisting and banging it against the icy rocks. The pain was intense, but she tried to fight back. She kicked her leg, only making it worse. Scorch snarled just as a series of cracks rippled through her calf. Blood rushed out of her cheeks as a violent scream roared from her. He had broken her leg like it was nothing. She was helpless and immobile.

Tears poured from her eyes as she reached her arms out, trying to pull her body away. It was no use. She felt Scorch pulling her back.

He flipped her onto her back and mounted her. The weight caused her to gasp for air. She was trembling from the pain. Her nails dug into his skin and her palms pushed against his foaming mouth as he snapped at her like wild dog. Any pain that she was inflicting on him didn't seem to have an affect. In response he only laughed, grabbing her wrists and slamming them on the snowy ground.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"Get off me!"

A laugh, cold and cruel, blew past his lips, "Don't act like you don't like it."

The next thing she felt was Scorch's teeth sink into the skin of neck. A muffled yelp sounded from her. She needed to fight back, she needed to do something, but every bone in her body, broken or not, cried out in misery.

It was then that she knew it. It was in that single moment that she realized she didn't want to die.

Her breath hitched as Scorch grabbed her shoulders and began bashing her head against the ground. She could hear the crack of her skull hitting the rock and feel blood starting to ooze. Her hands thrashed around her as sharp pains shivered throughout her whole body. A moan past her lips and her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. She could feel her muscles giving up, though her mind didn't want to.

Although her vision was foggy and her body limp, she could hear what came next: another series of crashes.

Her eyes peered around and her lips parted in horror. The section of the square they were fighting on was rising into the air. She felt the strain in her neck as her head dangled off the edge.

It didn't take long for Scorch to understand what was going on as well, and when he did Pandora could feel him pushing her.

Her eyes fearfully looked down to see that the cracks in the square were quickly turning into deep gorges. Light was glowing from the gorges like fire. She cried in panic, clawing at the ground, but her shoulders were already off. Then with another push so was her upper body. She could feel the unbearable heat rising from the chasm.

There was no time for plans or intrigues. She needed to act fast. Her eyes turned back to Scorch's bleeding face as she grabbed the lapels of his coat in her hand.

_One last time_, she said it to herself, focusing her eyes before she started to pull.

Scorch rabidly fought back, placing pressure on her leg. She could feel the painful weight but refused to give up.

"What are you doing?! If I go, you go!"

Her breath rose through the air, it was shaky. "A small price to pay to watch you die."

With momentum and one last show of strength she rolled Scorch over, letting them both fall of the edge. She gasped as she felt her body fall for a short second before grabbing the jagged edge of the cobblestone with her hands. She was hanging over the fire. Scorch was holding her ankles.

Her broken leg was useless, but with her free leg she began to kick. Screams sounded from her as she whipped her legs and body, feeling overwhelming anguish in every inch of her limbs.

She could feel her hands slipping. Her eyes twitched from left to right, ocean water was falling into the crevices. The obsidian sea had reached the square. She growled in determination sinking her fingers deeper into the grooves of the cobblestone. He was weighing her down. She needed to get him off her. With one final kick to the face she sent him falling. Her eyes widened as she felt the weight of his body disappear and heard his shriek.

Only seconds past before the cannon went off.

She had survived, but the fear endured. Her hands were struggling to keep a grip on the rock. In a frenzy she struggled to pull her body up. Inch by inch her hands were slipping, with every layer of ice that melted. Her legs dangled like dead tree limbs. Scolding air blew around her, sending her flying around her head like a wild animal.

"No—" she whispered, "C'mon—" she was losing it. Before Pandora had a chance, she felt the icy rocks give way. Her hands tried to reach out for something else but she was falling too fast.

Snow fell as she did. She could feel the heat surrounding her. Her hair violently blew around her face. Slowly her dark eyelashes met.

_So this how it ends_…a voice inside her hissed…_without a Victor_.

She parted her lips in anticipation of the burning impact.

Falling. Falling forever.

She closed her eyes tighter, knowing the pain that waited for her.

Maybe this was fate, maybe this was how it was always supposed to be. She wasn't a champion. Perhaps death was the only way she could be saved, but just when she thought it was over she felt it.

_Something had caught her_.

Her eyes opened in shock to see a net. Visible waves of heat rose from the gorge and as her vision cleared Pandora saw that the net she was in was connected to a cable, a cable that dangled for a moment before it started pulling her up.

Her head shook in confusion. Her fingers clawed at the thick wiry web she was caught it.

She could feel the faintness in her head and body, but as she lifted her eyes she gasped.

A black jet was flying overhead. The cable dragged her towards the sky, further and further.

When she emerged from the fiery chasm, she could feel the coldness of the arena once more. In the last few seconds of consciousness she looked around to see that the sea had swallowed up the arena. It darkly shimmered below her, sending every road, building, and tunnel into a watery grave.

Her pupils weakly contracted as she let her head fall back and fingers relax. The monstrous sound of water flooding into the gorges and crevices pummeled her ears. Just before her eyes began to close Pandora Sullivan thought she tasted the salty kiss of the ocean on her lips.


	16. Like Spinning Plates

_Like Spinning Plates_

Rapid beeping and distorted voices broke through the darkness.

"She's lost a lot of blood!"

She could feel hear heartbeat hammering against her ribcage. A deathly gasp shook her lungs.

"Get a IV in her now, she needs fluids."

Her fingers extended in pain, grazing against the starched sheets covered in blood.

"How's she doing?" Someone unexpectedly appeared to the side but she couldn't make out any discerning features. They were just a silhouette in her muddled vision.

"Patient has broken bones in her leg and ribs, and several fractured phalanges…"

Pandora tried to move her lips to speak but was silenced by the taste of blood. Whether it was Scorch's or hers she couldn't know. It wasn't cold anymore. It was stifling. She could feel beads of sweat dripping down her brow and neck.

"Severe muscular tearing in the shoulders and torso and—"

"Where am I—" Her voice faltered.

The sterile lights above were blinding and it took Pandora a moment before she realized that she was lying on her back and the ceiling was moving.

"Sir, she's coming to!"

Her head vacantly turned from side to side. With each turn she felt the muscles in her neck sting. Suddenly she was aware. Her eyes widened at the faces covered in surgical masks. White-clad figures were pushing her gurney through a bleached corridor. They looked like monsters. Some had grotesque devices in their hands that threateningly gleamed with a metallic shine, while others were running along her side, pulling on latex gloves. All she could see were their eyes, frightening eyes that scanned her body and face.

Though she tried to snap out of it, she couldn't shake the fear that was twisting her insides. They were mutts. It was another challenge in the arena. She needed to get up, to move. Her fingers clawed into the sheets, "No! Let go of me!"

All eyes shifted to her, but the gurney didn't stop moving. It felt like the lights were burning her retinas, like she wasn't really in her body, but floating in a stream of water.

"Let me go!" A banshee's scream erupted from her as she bared her teeth in panic.

"Calm her down now!"

"Her BP is skyrocketing."

Pandora's eyes, bloodshot and swollen, twitched around. Suddenly the pain came surging back, but not the memories, not just yet.

"I need to find Marius—" her voice sounded like sandpaper scratching at a log.

"Sir!?"

The head doctor shook his head at one of his companions and adjusted his mask, "She's hallucinating. Tighten the straps, she might try to attack someone."

A groan escaped Pandora and her fingers twitched. It was then that she realized she was being held down to the gurney with restraints.

"I want 20 ccs now!"

Her body began to tremble. With both fear and urgency, a scream bellowed from her. She started thrashing against the bonds.

"Miss, please! We're trying to help you!"

She snarled at the nurse, narrowing her eyes as she lifted her head slightly. Her mouth snapped a few times, like a wild animal waiting for the kill. In fright the nurse yelped and jumped back, almost falling over another medic as she did so.

"Where's Marius!? I want to see my friend!" Pandora continued to incoherently shout.

She tried to kick her legs out of the restraints only to feel shooting pain splice through the whole of her body. Instantly she let out a shriek, followed by murmuring cries. The sound of the crack was so clear that a few nurses winced.

"Knock her out!" The head doctor harshly shouted.

Pandora groggily rolled her head to the side to catch a glimpse of him. He was older, with wiry white hair and grey eyes, eyes that shrewdly darted around.

"But sir—"

"She just gave herself a compound fracture in her already broken leg! I said knock her out!"

Blood gushed from a slit in Pandora's lip as she hazily looked to one of the medics. The woman was slowing down, only seconds past before she pulled out a syringe. When the needle came at Pandora she tried to lift her hand up in defense only to feel the restraints holding her arm back. A growl sounded through her teeth as she felt the point pierce her skin and the liquid burn through her veins.

Everything was becoming foggy again. She needed to fight back.

"Marius—my friend—" a whimper interrupted her words as she dropped her head to the side and stared at the head doctor. She could feel herself slipping, but as he looked at her she found her tongue: "Where's my friend?"

He placed his gloved hand on her shoulder and wiggled the surgical mask off his face. He was clean shave with a bulbous nose.

"Everything is going to be alright," Pandora was surprised at how soothing his voice was, not realizing how fast the drug was working. "I'm going to fix you."

"My friend—" Her blinking slowed, as did her heartbeat.

Her head collapsed onto the pillow in defeat, she tried to speak again but could barely move her tongue. Just as her eyes shut, Pandora felt the gurney push through the doors, into the operating room.

Hours past. Then days.

Like a dying flame on the wick of a candle, Pandora would come in and out of consciousness. Her eyes would open for several minutes and, at other times, mere seconds. Sometimes faces would be leaning over her, faces she was sure she knew but couldn't quite remember where from.

Occasionally one of the Capitol's tongueless slaves would enter her room to feed her. The first few feedings she couldn't keep anything down, but as the days progressed her appetite increased, only to be diminished by more sleep.

"Marius," she would dully whisper to them, only to hear silence. Her eyes were too tired to notice their faces sadden at the mentioning of the name.

During those days, which felt like a lifetime, neither nightmare nor dream interrupted her sleep. In brief moments of lucidity she wondered if she had died and this white room, with a sterile odor that burnt her nostrils, was hell. It felt like she was wavering between the world of the living and the dead. Every time she thought she had control over her consciousness it would slip away. Although the pain subsided and the nausea stopped, she was sure that death was coming, sure that at any moment she would see them all waiting for her at the end of the road. All those people she murdered just to win the Hunger Games, just so she could win for her own selfish reasons.

But one day the cloudiness stopped.

The day was warm and sunny when she finally roused, though there was no way Pandora could have known this in her windowless cage.

Her eyes opened, not in a few moments of consciousness but complete soberness.

Without moving her body, her eyes traveled around the room. It looked brighter than she had remembered in her sparse episodes of wakefulness. She gasped with wide eyes, suddenly realizing that she was naked underneath the thin white sheet. Pandora vacantly gripped her hands into fists and wiggled her toes. Her muscles felt healthier then ever before. Apprehensively she shifted her legs, feeling no pain or tension. When she lifted her hand to her cheek it felt smooth and replenished, as did her hair. Her fair skinned looked glowing and all signs of trauma, even scars, were gone.

Her fingers glided down to her lips, they were no longer cracked and bleeding.

Across the room something rasped.

"Amazing isn't it?"

In astonishment, Pandora sat up and clutched the sheet close to her body. Her brown eyes sharply glanced to a shadowy corner of the room. From the darkness something moved. As he came forward her breath trembled.

"What are you doing here?!" she uncomfortably moved underneath the sheet, making sure to keep her eyes on his.

President Snow was standing straight as an arrow. She wondered why it had taken her so long to notice his dark suit against the pallor of the room.

He took a step forward and adjusted the rose on his lapel, "Don't be afraid. I got here only a few moments ago."

She studied his face and fine dress. Although it had been a while since she had seen Snow it didn't feel long enough. If she had it her way she would never see him again. Her jaw tightened at the thought.

"That was a fine show you put on."

Her hand reached for the side of her head. Sharp memories sliced through her mind. Her fingers quivered. They were all dead. She was the only one that was left, the Victor of the 68th Hunger Games, "What do you want?"

He cleared his throat, grabbing a silver chair that was resting near the door of the room. When he took a seat he made sure to flatten out the creases in suit, "You seem on edge. I was told by the doctor you tried to attack a medic that came into your room a few days ago."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. Everything from her recovery was garbled and distant.

"They thought you had gone rabid."

Her eyes darkly blazed, "You would know all about that wouldn't you?"

"I see we still have that spirit. A pity—I was hoping the arena would change that. No entirely, of course, but still..."

"Go to hell."

"Now, now—just because you did everything_ you_ promised you would do, doesn't mean you can't be reprimanded. Be careful, Pandora. Remember, I'm the one who turned you into a champion."

She bit back the hate and loathing.

"I'm here to remind you of our deal. You remember it, don't you?"

Her eyebrow arched in silence.

"Pandora, dear, let's not be difficult."

A grimace appeared on the contours of her face, "I remember."

The smile that pulled at President Snow's swollen lips was sinister, as if he was pleased by his own callous persuasions. "Well I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the Capitol is in an uproar. They are very excited for their new Victor. I didn't know you had it in you. Honestly, I didn't think you were going to make it past the sewers."

Her saliva tasted acidic, "You killed Marius."

Snow let out a dark laugh and leaned back, "No. You did."

"I—I had to save him. That smoke was eating away at his brain!"

"A small price to pay for your family's happiness."

"You take pleasure out of turning children into murderers?"

His eyes locked on hers and his smile dropped, "You had a choice. You chose to kill him."

"You gave me that antidote because you knew this would happen."

"Don't think I'm stupid, Miss Sullivan. I can imagine what you were thinking in the arena. About how to get out of our little contract. This was my way of keeping loose ends tied."

"I should have killed myself."

"And then your family would have died. You should be thanking me. I saved you."

Her lips parted in disgust. The idea of this monster saving her was beyond troubling. The thought of President Snow thinking he had done her a favor made Pandora nauseous.

"If I wanted to, I could have you killed in an instant. It would be so easy—but I don't."

Through all the rage and sorrow a memory slowly came forward. What had Lux Halstead called her before the Games? Her lips twitched into a smirk, her posture relaxed, but only slightly, "But you won't."

"Oh? And why won't I, Miss Sullivan?"

"Because I'm a _candidate_."

Instantly, Snow's muscles went rigid. "Now where did you hear something like that?"

Her smirk quickly transformed into a smile, "Don't be so transparent, Mr. President."

She could see it then: the anger fill his eyes and posture. But it was only for a moment. Almost immediately after Pandora noticed the dark glimmer it faded. In its place was an ominous glower and baritone chuckle.

"You silly little girl. You don't even know what you're saying."

"I know that you wanted a sample of my blood. No doubt that's connected to it."

His laugh heightened, "No doubt, dear. But do tell me, what_ is _a candidate?"

Her smile dropped, as did her eyes.

"Ah," she could hear him smile, "That's what I thought."

He looked proud. If he was feeling a hint of disdain from her failed attempt at provoking him, he didn't show it. He shoved his hand in his trouser pockets and stood up. The steps he took towards Pandora were quiet and sly.

"Enjoy your year at home, Pandora. I'm sure everyone will be delighted to see you again. The whole family. See, sometimes happy endings do happen."

"Why me?"

He leaned closer, the smell was so disconcerting she had to turn her face away. "Because Miss Sullivan, you are special."

Her eyes narrowed, "You did this to me. I didn't want it."

"Think of how happy they'll be when you get off that train. All because you were brave enough to do as you were told."

Her eyes shifted to him in disgust, "Bravery is not why I'm still alive."

He scanned her face, "No. It's not. But you wouldn't want to ruin you're family's idealization of you, would you? Think of how sad little Dash would be?"

The mentioning of her brother's name caused her fingers to instinctively grab for her wrist. Her eyes widened, it was naked, "My—my bracelet."

"I thought you would miss that—it seems you lost it in the arena."

A gust of sweet breath hit her in the face, "What?"

"It's only a trinket, Pandora, don't look so troubled."

She violently rubbed her wrist and clenched her jaw.

"You'll get over it soon enough. A pretty girl like you doesn't need to worry about such frivolities. A little tin toy, that's all it was."

Her brown eyes lingered on his face. She wanted to kill him, and she could. After all she had endure because of this single man she deserved to watch him bleed to death, but then she remembered herself.

It took all the patients in her bones to lean away from him and avert her eyes, "Thank you for your time, sir."

"Oh, sudden manners? You're a quick learner," he was smiling like a ghoul, "I had them send a special tonic for you, it will help you feel better. We can't have our champion feeling under the weather for the closing ceremonies."

Her eyes twitched to the nightstand and her lips tightened. She had forgotten about the closing ceremonies and interviews. A wave of panic swept over her but she didn't show it.

"I feel fine."

Though she wasn't looking at him, she could see his shadow move towards the door out the corner of her eyes. The door creaked open, "I'll be seeing you, Miss Sullivan."

She didn't breath until the door shut. Instantly, her face fell into her hands and her feet dangled off of the infirmary bed. It was as if she had been brought back to life only to be drained of her soul. She could feel her temper boiling under her skin. Chills shook her body. The tears and blood she had shed could fill an ocean. The guilt was gnawing at her, constantly reminding her of the choices and misdeeds she had made. She felt sudden empathy for Lux Halstead, the infamous morphling Victor from District 7, and pity for herself.

When Pandora finally released her face from her hands, she glared at the nightstand, staring at the pitcher of tonic that fizzled nearby. The bubbles rolled to the surface, spastically popping at they reached the surface. It stabbed her ears like tiny knives. Her hands clutched the sides of her head and tears started to roll down her cheeks. An eternity of hell was waiting for her and she deserved every minute of it.

Her heart raced as she let out an impulsive roar and swung at the pitcher. It flew off the table, violently tumbling to the floor. The sound of glass shattering chaotically broke through the silence. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she watched shards of crystal scrape the ground. The blue tonic spill across the white tile, collecting into grooves along the edges. Her breath hissed through her teeth and those wide doe eyes narrowed. It was the beginning of the end.


	17. Those Blinding Lights

_Those Blinding Lights_

The afternoon sun spilled through the windows, onto the ornate furniture and flooring of the Victor's suite. Particles of dust quietly drifted through the air, only illuminated in the bright rays. She placed her hands on the glass and took a step forward.

Since Pandora had been released from the infirmary she noticed that her fair skin seemed to glow healthier than before. Like satin her hair silkily shined. The strands of green were no longer there. Now her hair was back to its deep natural chestnut shade. No longer did she have dark circles underneath her eyes, or scars from the arena and her childhood. The advanced technologies of the Capitol had sewn her up like a torn doll.

She spread her fingers out, pressing further into the glass. Her brown eyes lingered on the crowd below. They were waiting for her debut as the champion of the 68th Hunger Games. Her lips pursed at the remembrance of Lux Halstead being ushered into her white cell. He had said nothing, but in his glossy yellow eyes she knew all the things he wanted to say. He pitied Pandora, something she couldn't blame him for because, truly, she pitied herself. At the time Pandora thought it was strange that Catia Lawson was absent. She thought that for sure her Capitol representative, with a voice so high it could break glass, would want to be the first to congratulate her. But she hadn't seen her.

Her glance shifted from the crowd below to her hand. It felt strange to be so clean.

Occasionally Pandora would glance at her reflection, gasping at the face that stared back at her. Of course she still looked the same…but somehow, in some way, there was a difference, something that made her more ethereal than before.

"They're calling your name."

Suddenly she crooked her head to the side and hunched her shoulders. Lux Halstead vacantly stumbled closer, taking a casual look beyond the glass at the growing mob.

"It feels just like yesterday that I was standing where you are."

She wearily dropped her hand and looked away, "You sound almost nostalgic."

"These memories have a funny way of reminding you."

"Reminding you of what?"

Halstead scratched at his neck. "All the things you'll be judged for when the lights go out."

Muscles in her back and arms uncomfortably twitched. She hadn't exchanged more than two words with her mentor since she had come back from the arena. Every time she looked into his eyes a fear grew inside her. The fear of what might happen if she couldn't let go of all this.

"They said I was crazed, like a wild animal."

He was silent for so long that she corner-eyed him. From the expression on his face she knew the answer before he said it.

"I—I saw you soon after they had worked on you. You had to be restrained because you were attacking medics. You thought you were still in the arena."

In shame she lowered her eyes, "Did I attack you?"

"No—" for a brief moment she felt relief. "—But Catia wasn't so lucky."

Her breath harshly stopped. Her brow furrowed.

"You tried to stab her with a syringe you stole from one of the nurses. Almost got her jugular before they tranquilized you."

Horror read in every curve of Pandora's face. It made sense suddenly. Why Catia had kept her distance. She wasn't absent because she was busy or apathetic but because she was afraid. Pandora had almost murdered a member of her own team. She didn't like Catia Lawson, but never in her wildest dreams would she want to hurt her.

"I didn't mean to—I—I was out of mind."

"I know," his voice filled with understanding. "She knows that too, but you can't blame her for staying away. You really scared her. You scared all of us. Some Tributes never really come back from the Games."

It occurred to her, right then and there, how clearheaded her mentor was being. The memory of Lux Halstead attacking her on the train felt far away now. It seemed that, through the trauma of the Hunger Games, her mentor had become understanding and, even more peculiar, trustworthy.

"I wish I could forget it all. I don't want to remember."

"Maybe one day you will…but not today."

Her arms wrapped around her torso and her eyes lifted to the sky, "This wasn't how it was supposed to be."

She knew that there was no way he could have known the depth of her statement, but she needed to say it to someone. Or perhaps, she needed to hear herself say it.

"How was it supposed to be?"

Her gaze suddenly shifted to him, "What?"

He rubbed his lips together and scratched his arms. Pandora could tell that he hadn't had a fix in a while. "I was eighteen years old when I was reaped. I barely made it out alive and the only reason I did win was because I hid, like a coward. I watched people die everyday, heard every scream."

Pandora's eyes were unblinking.

"There was a girl from our District, the other Tribute from 7. Her name was Bly. She was only twelve years old."

It was hard to imagine her mentor in the arena, fighting for his life, but as he spoke she could see it so clearly and surely that she knew every word he was saying was true.

"I told her I would protect her, I promised her that. But—when the time came I chose myself over her. I watched her die, Pandora. I watched her get strung up like a pig."

Her lips parted, instantly she thought of Marius and the blood on her own hands.

"Now I live everyday with that memory. No matter how hard I try to—to wash it out, it stays."

Silence grew between them, heavy silence that made Pandora's heartbeat quicken.

"So why go on?" she finally asked the question that had been eating away at her, "Why live your life as a glorified killer?"

His morphine eyes lifted to the sky and, for a moment, she thought she saw tears glistening in them. "I was a coward back then, I was too selfish and unaware to realize the magnitude that single moment would have on the rest of my life. She's part of me now and forever. Killing myself would only kill her all over again. I can't change the past, but I can keep going for her."

It took all her courage to hold his gaze. He was standing beside her in honesty, honesty that reminded Pandora of her own shame.

"And if I'm not strong enough?" She was embarrassed that the trembling question past her lips.

"Pandora, I'm not the right person for any of this. I'm a pathetic louse of a man. But if there's one thing I know, it's that you're the strongest girl I've ever met."

Her fingers clawed at the edge of the windowsill. "I feel like I'm going to break."

When he placed his hand on her shoulder she lowered her eye.

"Time passes," he said with a whisper, "Time passes."

Her brow furrowed. It was only two words, barely comforting. But somehow they made the dread subside. The hope for the future was all Pandora had, the hope that her family would be safe.

She felt his grip on her shoulder tighten, "I won't tell you what to say tonight. You say whatever you have to."

Her jaw clenched at the idea of the closing ceremonies and interview. The worst was yet to come.

"It's almost time," she responded quietly.

His hand dropped, "Yes, it is."

From below, her name rose to the sky. The crowd was chanting in booming unison. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and twitched her eyes around. The crowd looked like a murder of crows swaying around the building.

"They're calling my name as if I were a champion."

"You are. To them, you are."

Her head shook from side to side, "I'm a cheat and a liar."

"I think you're just a girl doing her best to save her family."

Slowly she peered at him. Did he know about the deal she had with President Snow? Her lips puckered. No. There was no way he could know. He was just as oblivious as the crowd below, oblivious to everything except the one mystery that both confused and scared her: that she was a candidate.

Her head tilted, "Halstead—"

"Hmm?" His eyes were still on the windows.

"Before I went into the arena you told me I was a candidate."

She could see his eyes widen.

"What did you mean by that?"

When he finally looked at her she noticed his posture had turned anxious. "What are you talking about?"

"You said—"

He cupped his hand over her mouth and spastically shook his head. Although she tried to pull away he wouldn't let her.

"Forget what I said, Pandora," his voice was a frightening whisper.

Footsteps echoed down the hall. They were heading this way.

Her eyes widened, "But—"

He clasped his hand around her mouth tighter, stopping her words. "Forget it."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. Not only was Halstead panicking and flustered, but afraid. It frightened her. She wanted to protest, to get to the bottom of that strange word and its obscure meaning, but before she could utter anther syllable the door flew open.

Halstead dropped his hand from Pandora's mouth and took a step back, scratching at his neck and arm like the morphling he was.

Her eyes twitched across the room at the entry. Caradoc was standing in the doorway with the rest of the stylist team close behind.

"There she is!" Lucius cheered.

"I should be going," her mentor stammered, suddenly shuffling towards the door and glancing at Caradoc before slipping past Vibia and Lucius.

Pandora stood alone, corner-eyeing the team as she backed into the window. Her skin picked up on the vibrations from the crowd's cheers. It was then that she noticed that Caradoc had changed his magenta eye shadow and hair to an emerald hue, most likely an attempt to show his allegiance to the Victor of District 7.

"Our champion!" Vibia cooed in delight, pushing a tray of equipment into the center of the room. "We're here to make you look beautiful for the closing ceremonies!"

Lucius ran to Pandora's side and stroked her hair. "Isn't this exciting?" he asked inquisitively.

She tried to respond but nothing came out.

"Lucius, you're being overwhelming," Caradoc finally said, "Just do your job."

"Alright, alright—" Lucius hissed, grabbing Pandora's arm, "Come along, dear!"

In defiance Pandora furrowed her brow and shoved him. Both Vibia and Caradoc peered up in shock.

"Don't touch me."

Her words were like acid and she could tell as soon as she spoke that it took everyone off guard. Her eyes angrily darted around as she walked to the beautician seat and sat down.

Lucius shot Vibia a surprised look before grabbing a bag and emptying the contents onto a nearby table. Only Caradoc kept his eyes on Pandora, and as he did a smile appeared on his lips.

"It seems that our Victor has new found courage."

"Hmph," Lucius muttered, "And a loss of manners."

"Now, now, Lucius," Caradoc's smile remained as he took a steps forward and stared at Pandora, "Our little Victor has been through a lot. We should be understanding."

She lifted her eyes to the designer and curled her lips at his amused expression.

"Are you ready, Miss Sullivan?"

Her eyes were glued to Caradoc's face. In confidence she tilted her head up and settled her hand on the armrests, "Let's get on with this."

"That's what we like to hear," Caradoc whispered, motioning towards his comrades.

Vibia wasted no time in attacking Pandora's face and neck with make up and moisturizers, while Lucius reluctantly began working on her hair. From time to time Pandora would look up to see Caradoc perfecting a particular dress, which she assumed was going to be her outfit, though she couldn't figure out what it was. She remained quiet and still as they worked on her, feeling more like a piece of marble being chipped away by sculptors than a human being.

It wasn't for a long while before they finished, and when they did she saw the familiar smiles appear on their faces, smiles that made her nauseous.

"Vibia, your talent does always surprise me."

"As does yours, Lucius, as does yours."

The nausea worsened.

"Stand up, Pandora," Caradoc barked, rising to his feet and lifting a gown in his hands.

She hesitantly complied, shedding the clothes she had on until she was naked.

"Lift your hands up."

Slowly her arms lifted into the air and her eye dropped to the floor. Though she wasn't looking at him, she heard his footsteps approach. He slid the gown over her arms and head. Her breath hitched as she felt the fabric on her shoulders and torso tighten around her skin.

"We wanted to focus on the wintertime. I thought it would be fitting."

Her eyes darted around, "Why is that?"

"Because of the snowiness of the arena, of course."

She rubbed her lips together with a shiver. She wanted to forget about the cold and snow.

"Vibia, the mirror, please."

The makeup artist clapped her hands in joy as she meandered to the long mirror and spun it around.

As soon as Pandora saw her reflection she had to take a step back out of shock. The bodice of the dress had a plunging neckline. It was made up of crystals that glimmered like snow in the moonlight. The crystals continued down her torso and hips, dissolving into sheer blue fabric that draped on the floor into a train. Her lower eyelids were lined with silver and her lips were painted a pale rose. She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, noticing suddenly that even her cheeks seemed to have a silver glimmer to them. Lucius had pinned her hair up, leaving a few strands down to frame her face.

They had made her look beautiful, but the longer she stared at her reflection the more she hated herself. All she saw when she looked in the mirror was the lies and nightmares.

"There's our champion," Caradoc whispered, helping Pandora into silver heels.

"We're running behind, we should be leaving now," Lucius reminded everyone.

She peered around, feeling her stylist team pushing her towards the door. Unlike the other times before, they were escorting her to the first part of the closing ceremonies: the interviews. She steadied her feet, hearing her heels clatter against the marble floor and her breath deepen. Before she knew it they were in the elevator.

As they approached the antechamber that lay offstage, she could feel butterflies forming her stomach. Memories of the opening interviews cut at her, but she gritted her teeth, trying to repress them. The hum of the crowd heightened as the doors to the offstage area opened. She could smell the mountain air. The warm breeze caused her gown to flutter around her legs.

"There she is!" Someone with a strange contraption in their ear shouted, waving them over, "You're late!"

"Sorry—I—"

Caradoc grabbed Pandora and held his hand up. "Ah ah," he cawed, silencing her, "The show doesn't start till the Victor walks in."

The backstage worker rolled her eyes at him, "Yea, yea. Just get ready, we're on in 5."

Something told Pandora that this worker had ushered in a lot of Victors.

Strands of her hair blew around her face as the team led her to an open area near the curtains. Immediately they began touching up Pandora's hair, face, and dress.

Her eyes twitched to the offstage screen to see Caesar Flickerman warming up the audience. Her toes wiggled in her shoes as she tried to brace herself for what was about to happen.

_Clear your mind_, a voice whispered inside her.

"Look up for me," Vibia directed.

Pandora followed her instructions, feeling Vibia layer her bottom eyelids with another coating of silver liner.

"You'll be fine," she encouraged with a smile, noticing Pandora's worry.

"Where's my mentor?"

"He's in the crowd," Caradoc replied for Vibia, adjusting the train of the dress.

Her agitation was mounting. She was sick of being touched, sick of being ordered around like a painted doll.

"_Interviews commence in 3 minutes_," a static voice broke through hidden speakers.

A sigh blew past her lips. This was it. She needed to put on the best show she could, she needed to accept her Victory with charm and a smile.

Unexpected chills prickled on the back of her neck. She could feel it then…someone was watching her. Her eyes raised and her head slyly turned towards the far side of the room. When she saw him, her lips parted in shock.

Adric Pedersen was standing at attention near the wall. His light blonde hair stuck out among the group of guards. She tried to bring herself to look away when they locked eyes, but somehow she couldn't. Suddenly her mouth felt dry. Images flashed through her mind. The parachute with the medicine, the note that came with the jar, and then when she called for his help in the arena. Help that never came. As her eyes lingered on his she expected a smile of congratulation, something she thought would be expected from a native to the Capitol, but there was none. Instead he held her gaze for few heartbeats before looking away. To Pandora he seemed solemn, it was that solemnness that made her angry. After all, what did he have to be sad about? He wasn't the one that was thrown into the arena. He wasn't the one who had to watch everyone around him die. He wasn't the one who killed his friend. Coldness filled her bones.

"_Cue Victor in 5…4…3…"_

"Alright, get ready."

But her eyes remained on Adric. She didn't want his sympathy. She wanted explanations.

"Pandora?"

"_2…_"

"Pandora?!"

The roar of the crowd began to rumble. Suddenly, she twitched her eyes to Caradoc and pursed her lips.

"Are you ready? "

Her heart pummeled against her ribcage. Boldly she flung the train of her dress behind her and pushed him aside. As her legs started to move she lifted her eyes and reminded herself to smile. Her lips met in the most charming smirk she could feign and with one last step she was onstage. The blinding lights caused her crystal dress to sparkle. Gasps of joy and excitement echoed throughout the audience. Although she couldn't see the crowd she heard them applaud her. They chanted her name. Cameras started snapping pictures and televising her image throughout Panem.

It was show time.

In a gesture of goodwill, Pandora lifted her hand into a wave. This made the crowd lose it.

Caesar Flickerman was waiting for her when she arrived at center stage with a hand held out. She placed her fingers in his palm without hesitation, smiling as he planted on a kiss on her hand.

"Pandora Sullivan!" He shouted, suddenly lifting her hand into the air.

More cameras flashed. She was terrified but refused to show it. Her smirk turned into a smile as she let out a laugh and continued to wave.

"Thank you," she responded, bowing her head.

The clapping continued for several minutes before Caesar finally interrupted the audience's ovations.

"Please, Pandora, take a seat."

She adjusted her dress as she set herself on the edge of the chair and straightened her back. Her eyes scanned his suit. It was emerald green. Apparently her victory had taken the color palette of the Capitol by storm. "You look very nice tonight, Caesar."

"Oh!?" He lifted his eyebrows up and down.

The crowd erupted in laughter.

"Well, thank you. I had to look my best for you, you know?!"

Her smile grew as she winked at him, "Of course."

Whistles and cheers rang out.

"I tell you, Pandora, each time I see you, you impress me."

"You're too kind."

They exchanged smiles before she crossed her legs and let out a laugh.

"Well, I don't have to tell you how thrilling this Hunger Games was, do I?!"

Pandora felt a wave of sickness coming but she smiled through it.

"The Games?" jokingly she tapped her finger on her chin, "I can't quite remember…"

The audience laughed, as did Caesar.

"I must say I was shocked. All those twists and turns. It was fabulous!"

She arched her eyebrow. _No, it was terrifying_. "Yes, it was exhilarating wasn't it?!"

"Let's take a look at some of the highlights."

She could feel her heart stop for an instant. This was the part she had been dreading most. She didn't want to see the footage, to relive it all over again, but now she was being forced to. Her smile faded slightly, her teeth racked along her bottom lip.

All eyes turned to the large screens in anticipation.

The first clip was from the countdown. She watched herself jump off the pedestal, run for the pack, and fight off Petro. Clips of her hunting flashed across the screen. She peered to the crowd when the footage of Marius saving her rolled. A few members of the audience clapped and others gasped, as if this was the first time they had seen it. And then came the worst of the arena: clips of them running from the terrible smoke and the gruesome explosion. She grabbed the edge of her seat in terrifying anticipation, her eyes eerily waited for the moment where she killed her friend. The moment she betrayed her own morals. However, to her surprise, the footage jumped to the finale, to the moment where she was dangling over the gorge, sure that she was going to die. She could feel her breathing level out, inside she thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have to go through that all again, to see the life leave Marius's eyes.

When the screen went black the crowd was silent.

She peered at Caesar in expectation, loosening her grip on the edge of the seat.

In an instant the tone became serious.

"How does it feel to see all that, Pandora?" He asked.

She hesitated, peering to the crowd in thought. If there was ever a time to choose her words carefully this was it. "It's kind of an out of body experience."

"What did you think when you were hanging off the ledge?"

She blinked her eyes and laughed, "I thought I was done in for sure."

"Now I have to say my favorite moment was when you and Scorch faced off."

The crowd shouted in agreement.

"Tell me something, what was that song you sung?"

Pandora smiled, "It's an old folk tune from my home District. The workers used to sing it. I remember as a little girl you could hear it echo from the forest."

"You have a beautiful voice."

"Thank you, Caesar."

"And something tells me that was only a glimpse of it," he glanced at the audience and arched his eyebrows, "What would you say to a performance?"

Her eyes widened in shock. The sight of it must have been comical because the crowd exploded with laughter. Even Caesar chuckled a little.

"Oh, I don't know."

She anxiously looked to the crowd.

"C'mon, Pandora! We don't bite."

Awkwardly she laughed, but she could feel the blood rush to her cheeks. Her eyelashes fluttered. _Just say no, just say no and get the hell off this stage_. "Of course," she conceded, "Of course, I wouldn't mind."

Whistles murmured from the crowd. Caesar clapped his hands together in success and leaned back.

She waited for a moment before placing her hand on her stomach and standing up. Her back straightened as she took a step forward and closed her eyes, trying to remember the way the fields and forests of District 7 looked, trying to find peace.

She could hear her breath amplified by the microphones when she parted her lips.

"_Will me meet through the pine?_

_The way is tempered with time. _

_I've been waiting there a long long while, _

_But the woods are growing cold and dark, _

_And Darling so am I." _

The audience fell silent. She could hear her voice echo.

"_The stars above will guide us, _

_Their glimmer blazing out. _

_Through canopies of falling leaves, _

_We will, my love, seek heaven out." _

Her eyes slowly opened. In amazement she could feel her heart slow.

"_Will we meet through the pine? _

_The leaves are green and fine. _

_Darling, I've a many things to show you. _

_Underneath the bowing branches, _

_Our melodies sweetly shine." _

Every eye was on her. Each person entranced in the simple folk song of the forest, a song about love. She studied the faces through the darkness, noticing that they were on the edge of their seats.

"_Summer turns to winter, _

_And dew into snow. _

_But our candle burns the brighter, _

_Our souls and hearts aglow." _

She clasped her hand against her chest and leaned forward.

"_Will we meet through the pine? _

_With your body close to mine. _

_Will we meet through the pine? _

_Where our past and present intertwine." _

Her hands dropped to her side and her feet slid backwards. She bowed her head and closed her lips. The clapping started off in a low garble, quickly becoming a crescendo of thunderous applause that shook the platform of the stage.

When she turned back to Caesar Flickerman his eyes wide.

"Beautiful! Brava!" he shouted, applauding her with a wild laugh.

She tilted her head down humbly, in silence.

"Something tells me we haven't seen the last of you, Pandora."

She smiled in reply, unable to get a word in before he grabbed her hand.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your Victor!"

The applause knocked the breath out of her. She lifted her eyes to the form of cameras moving in the darkness, capturing every minute. Goosebumps appeared all over her body and a smile on her lips.

The noise from the crowd continued as she turned to Caesar and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek that stunned him.

"Thank you for your time, Caesar," she smiled, "It was a pleasure."

"The pleasure was all mine, Pandora."

Her smile broadened as she looked back to the audience and curtsied. Even after she had spun around and started walking towards the curtains, the celebratory cheers continued. She had just reached the curtains when she heard Caesar Flickerman call out her name once more.

"Pandora Sullivan, everyone! Your Victor!"

They chanted her name. Turning it into a strange song that quivered the soles of her shoes as she pushed past the curtains and down the steps, meeting her stylist team.

"That was wonderful!" Vibia noted excitedly.

"Spectacular!" Lucius added.

Pandora simply lifted her eyes, letting her lips remain straight.

"Thank you," she replied distantly, hunching as she felt them pat her on the back and nudge her.

That night she climbed into the godly chariots of triumph and was crowned Victor of the 68th Hunger Games. A golden wreath lined the top of her head and a painted smile remained on her lips. She could hear the cheers of the Capitol long into the morning. Their joy and excitement bit at her heart and stung at her ears. That night she cried herself to sleep.


	18. One Particular Moment

_One Particular Moment_

_Snow fell from the sky. She could hear the wind's song waft through the night. _

"_Run!" The scream was distorted but the urgency of the word wasn't cloaked. _

_Her hair whipped around her head as she bolted into a run. Shadows crept from windows and brick walls. She was a mouse in a maze. _

_Underneath her feet fire burnt through the grooves of the cobblestone, melting the stones like lava. _

_Her heart raced, her breathing deepened. Shrill yells bellowed through the darkness. _

_She needed to run, to escape, but every corner she turned and every road she took led to narrower streets and darker roads. _

"_Pandora!" _

_It broke through the night, clear as a bell. Her eyes lifted and her fists balled._

"_I'm coming!" She shrieked, clawing at the walls as she pushed through the snow._

_Her feet were heavy. _

_Twenty more paces. _

_Then ten._

"_I'm coming, Marius!" _

_Anxiety rushed through her veins. _

_Five paces. _

_The heels of her boots battered the icy ground as she hurled her body around a corner and slid into the open void. _

"_Marius?!" _

_She was blinded by the night._

"_Pandora…" The voice came from behind her. _

_She gasped as she spun around. What she saw made her stagger back. _

_Like a grotesque marionette Marius hung from a noose. His eyes were sealed with blood and his skin was sallow and slick. _

_Something moved from the shadows._

_Her eyes promptly moved to the side. Her hand clasped over her mouth in horror. _

_Next to Marius was another man dangling from the same rope. _

_Her eyes narrowed, her heart felt like it was going to explode. _

"_Father?!" _

_His head was crooked to the side, but as she moved closer she noticed his eyes darting around. _

"_Pandora…" he mumbled, gurgling through the tightness of the rope. He looked like a phantom, like a madman. _

_She looked to Marius. _

"_I didn't mean to!" She cried out, frightened by the ghouls that swayed in front of her. Her fingers traveled to her neck as she studied the golden ropes they dangled from. _

"_You foolish little girl! You selfish child!" _

"_I tried to save him—I tried!" _

_Marius eyes suddenly opened, his feet loosely jerked. _

_She could feel herself shaking. _

"_I'm so sorry…" _

_Warped smiles slowly appeared on the lips of both her Father and Marius. _

"_We're waiting, Pandora," Marius whispered into the night. _

"_No…" _

_Echoes of laughs pierced through the shadows. _

"_Don't you want to come with us?" _

_Her blood turned cold at her father's question. _

"_I didn't mean to," she whimpered. _

"_Silly girl," Marius now whispered, "Were waiting…"_

_Suddenly she felt it. Ice traveling up her legs. She tried to run but was frozen in place. Her eyes dropped to her feet. The frost was spreading to her ankles and then to her legs. _

_They were moving towards, gliding, the nooses still snuggly clung to the skin around their necks. _

"_No…I'm sorry."_

"_You killed us." _

"_No!" _

_She tried to move but the claws of ice kept her in place. _

"_You killed us!" _

Instantly her eyes flashed open. Her hands reached into the darkness of her bedroom as the jarring scream wailed from her lungs. Consciousness shook every inch of her body and when she lifted her hand to her brow she felt the familiar quiver of her fingers, the familiar shakes of terror.

Her fingertips glided down to her mouth as she threw the sweaty covers off her body and knelt on the floor. The plushness of the rug felt suffocating on her skin.

"It was just a dream," She whispered. Feeling a wave of nausea rise out of the pit of her stomach.

She peered around the darkness, trying to calm her trembling body.

"It was only a dream. It's not real."

But the certainty of fear was so real and tangible. Her dry lips rubbed together and her hands clawed at the ground. Water welled up in the corner of her eyes.

It was still night. From her bedroom window she could see the blazing lights of the Capitol staring back at her, mocking her nightmares with their dazzling beauty that never seemed to fade. A single tear fell down her cheek to her lips, the salt stung her tongue.

It wasn't until the blood had rushed back to her brain that she found her footing, but faintness still lingered in her eyes and legs. The skirt of her nightgown caressed her knees with every step she took. The transition of the warm rug to the marble flooring chilled her bare feet as she stumbled towards the large panes of glass.

It was her last night in the Capitol. Tomorrow she would be placed on a train and sent back to District 7. Home. The word seemed foreign now.

Her fingers traced the edge of the windowsill. A shadowy reflection of her face stared from the glass, interrupting her view of the cityscape.

It was strange to think that after all the tragedy, after all the horror, she was going back home. Memories of her family, her hunting trips in the meadows and forest, the sweet scent of sawmills, and the beauty of snowy mountain peaks flooded her thoughts in overwhelming harmony. For so long she had tried to shut these memories out, to be strong. It was these remembrances that waited for her, faces and places that she longed to be near. She wondered how they would look at her when she stepped onto the worn platform of District 7. Would she be welcomed back as a champion or a murderer? Her eyes narrowed at this vexing question.

She was sick of being called a champion, sick of being the Victor. In her mind she was none of these things, she was only a girl that fell into the talons of a monster. But there was no going back now.

Her breathing loudened. The memories were still flashing like snapshots of her life. If only there was a way she could forget.

Her lips parted as she grasped the sides of her head. Suddenly the walls of the room were closing in on her.

She needed to get out.

Without another thought, she threw open her closet and pulled on whatever clothes she could find. Her eyes hardened as she pushed through the bedroom doors into the hall, with doubt and questions scratching close behind.

The common room of the Victor's suite was laden in darkness as she crept around opulent furniture pieces and up steps. Her pace didn't slow until she arrived at the entryway. The doorknob cooled her sweaty palms as she twisted it with a click. Lights from the corridor blinded her for a few seconds but she didn't let it stop her. It was the middle of the night, no one would be roaming the halls.

Occasionally Pandora found herself glancing up at the cameras, which rested at the corner of each hallway. She wondered if there was some guard watching her every move from a set of screens, or worse—that President Snow was watching her every move.

Her finger hesitantly lifted to the elevator button. Just before pressing it she peered from left to right. The corridor was still.

Chills shook her bare legs, suddenly she wished she had pulled on pants instead of a dress. The only thing she had to keep her warm was a jacket that loosely hung from her shoulders.

"C'mon…" she whispered, lifting her eyes to the changing numbers.

The elevator was moving up levels efficiently and methodically, but only a few short seconds past before the number suddenly froze on 4. Her brow furrowed. The elevator had stopped on a different floor. Her fingers drummed on her thighs nervously.

Panic heightened inside and for a moment she thought of turning back, but she couldn't face the darkness. She needed to get away. With determination she pressed the button again.

Her eyes glanced to the number dial. Instantly it started changing again.

The mechanics of the elevator were becoming more audible. It was approaching.

Her eyes peered around as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She wasn't looking ahead when the elevator doors open, but when she heard the voice she was struck by the familiarity of it.

"Pandora?"

In surprise she looked up.

"Finnick?"

He was standing in the elevator compartment with an expression of astonishment on his face.

"What are you doing? You should be sleeping."

She shook her head, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was staying on District 4's level. The mentors don't leave till tomorrow."

She licked her lips, uncomfortably stepping back. All she saw when she looked at him was Wisty's neck snapping.

"I was going to the roof for fresh air," he continued.

He studied Pandora's anxious expression and straightened his back.

Torment devastatingly swallowed her. She had forgotten all about Finnick Odair. One of the youngest Victor's of the Hunger Games. He had wished death on her before the arena, and now she understood why.

"I couldn't sleep," she finally whispered, afraid to look into his eyes.

"You're not supposed to be out, you know? You could get in serious trouble."

Before she could catch herself, a dark laugh blew past her lips. "I don't care, Finnick. I don't care about any of this."

He widened his eyes in speechless shock. For a moment she felt guilty for being so impatient with him.

"Well—" his voice cut through the awkward queit, "Since you're up, have you ever seen the view of the Capitol from the tallest building?"

_Don't go in there_, she told herself, _Just leave, just leave him_.

Her lips tightened.

"Pandora?"

Slowly she lifted her eyes, taking a definite step forward. Shallow breaths filled her lungs as she watched the doors close.

Almost immediately the lift started ascending.

They stood in silence. Though she could feel his eyes on her for brief seconds at a time, she pretended to be unaware. Pandora wondered if he was baiting her, if when they got to the roof he was going to throw her off for letting his Tribute from District 4 die. Her eyes briefly closed, a part of her believed she deserved it.

Suddenly the elevator stopped with a jolted. As the doors open she froze, before her the grand lights of the Capitol dazzled.

Finnick started walking into the open air without hesitation, but she lingered behind, slowly stepping forward as she took in the sight. It was one thing to see the city lights from her window, but to see it like this was another world.

The moon was full, shedding silver light down from the sky. Sharp precipices and oval peaks jutted into the darkness. Each building wore a blanket of sparkling lights that took her breath away. In that instant she wondered how a place so breathtaking could be filled with such poison.

"Pandora?"

Her brown eyes twitched to her side. It was only then that she remembered Finnick.

Another step and she was at the edge of the roof, peering down at the city. For the first time since she had been in the Capitol, the air was silent. All celebrations were over, all crowds were gone.

"It's beautiful," she finally said.

Finnick gleamed a smile, sliding his hands into his pockets, "It's not bad."

Her heart shaped lips parted. Apprehension and memories clouded her mind, but a single question broke through the chaos: "Why did you invite me up here?"

"What?"

"I killed her."

She creased her brow, feeling the sting of tears at the back of her throat.

"Is that why you brought me up here? To pay me back?"

"Pandora—no—what are you saying?"

"I killed Wisty," the words frantically spilled out. She turned to face him, her hair blew in front of her eyes, "I could have saved her, but I didn't. It's all my fault. I know it is…please, just kill me."

Finnick drew back in disbelief. His eyes filled with something, whether it was anger or benevolence Pandora couldn't know.

"Please," she repeated.

"You didn't kill her, Pandora."

"She died because of me!"

Her eyes closed. She saw it all over again. Wisty calling out to her, Petro dragging her off like ragdoll. She let out a moan as she remembered the way it sounded to hear the bones in the little girl's neck break.

He reached out to her, grabbing her shoulders, "Pandora, open your eyes."

In defiance she shook her head. Gasping for air through cries.

"Look at me!"

Rivers of tears streamed down her cheeks as her misty eyes opened. She wanted to pull away from him but felt weak.

His green eyes gazed into her with silence.

"I'm so sorry…" she cried. It was what she wanted to say the moment she saw him standing there in the elevator. It was the real reason she agreed to come up here with him, but she hadn't realized it till this moment.

"I would never blame you for her death. It wasn't your fault."

Her lips quivered in doubt.

"Why are doing this?!" She shouted, suddenly shoving him away with frustration, "Why are you trying to comfort me?! I don't deserve it. I'm a monster."

His hands dropped. Pandora could see his chest rising with deep breaths.

"Because—" he blinked his eyes in uneasiness, "—because I know what it's like."

Her hand lifted to the side of her head as she turned away from him and bit her nails. She was ashamed and equally confused at his compassion. She had done nothing to deserve it, but it was given all the same.

Her face turned towards the buildings of the Capitol. In an instant the quiet surrounded them.

Side by side they stood, with no sounds between them but the wind. The silence remained for some time. The longer she stood next to him the less hollow she felt. He was a stranger, but Pandora couldn't shake the feeling that crept into her being. Running into him after opening ceremonies, during training, in President Snow's office, and now here. It was the feeling of fate.

"Tomorrow I go home."

The abruptness of her statement didn't seem to surprise Finnick.

"It feels so far away—"

A warm smile appeared on his face, "I think I know what you mean."

Pandora lowered her eyes, "What do I do now? It doesn't seem right, to go on with my life as it was before."

"You don't."

"How do you deal with the memories? With the nightmares?"

He set his eyes on the city lights, "I wake up, try to breathe. I try to remember because there's no point in forgetting…not anymore. I try to live my life."

He seemed so peaceful, so calm, but Pandora knew that underneath all that was a young man that was just as unsure and afraid of the future as her. She saw it in his eyes the day they exchanged words in President Snow's office, and she saw it now.

"I asked you once, before the arena, if it gets better."

He narrowed his eyes in thought, wisps of his auburn hair delicately shivered in the wind, "I'd be lying if I told you that in time every thing will get better—All I can say is that in the mornings, when I look out over the ocean, and see the sun rising high into the endless blue, I can feel my old self peering out from those memories."

Her eyes lifted to the gloomy horizon. The sun would break through soon.

Inside she hoped that one day she could see past all the nightmares and fear. In the depths of her soul she yearned for the time when her old self would emerge from behind the sickening memories, she yearned to remember the light.

_One day_, a voice whispered inside, _but not today, not just yet._


	19. What Dreams May Come

_What Dreams May Come_

Twilight's scent clung to every hair on her head, seeped into every pore of her body. She remembered the array of vivacious lights dazzling against the midnight skyline of the Capitol. A warmth grew inside her, keeping her fears at bay. The fact of the matter was, she was petrified, but equal realization hit that now more than ever she needed to stay strong. One day she would see come out from the darkness, but not yet. It was inescapable and absolute: somehow Pandora Sullivan felt changed. Finnick reminded her of that far off light, a light that she needed to embrace in the dark times to come.

Her eyes gazed at the sunrise with determination.

It was a flame that may flicker but never go out. It was the flame of hope.

Today she left the Capitol behind. Today she would step off that steel bullet of a train and not see the hungry crowd of spectators, but her family, her forest…her home.

In the half-light of the room, stillness settled like a fine coat of dust. Yellow rays of sunshine caused shadows of furniture and art to stretch across the room. It had an unnatural affect on her vision, almost reminding Pandora of a dream she had long ago but couldn't quite remember.

Her eyelashes fluttered to the bed. Neatly set out was the clothing she would return home in. Caradoc had taken special care to inform her it was necessary she wore the ensemble, in order to return as a true Victor. She hated the idea of returning to District 7 dressed in something from the Capitol, but it didn't matter if she hated it or not, there was nothing else to wear. Her Reaping dress had been burnt long ago, along with her childhood.

Just before she started dressing her fingers delicately caressed the fabric. Like all the clothing she had worn during her stay in the Capitol the fabric was soft and intricate, this dress seemed to be made out of a thicker fabric, like wool. It was simple and black. As she slipped it over her head and struggled to fasten the buttons on the back, her eyes darted to the mirror. The sleeveless dress was tight around the chest and torso, falling into cascades of fabric that tickled her knees. Along the neckline was a modest sparkle of gold, barely noticeable. She traced the thin line of gold with parted lips, before reaching for the shoes and slipping them onto her feet.

Earrings also waited to be worn. It took both patience and precision for her to screw them onto her ears. While in the Capitol, Pandora had seen men and women with earrings and bolts pierced through their skin, however, her ears weren't pierced and as a result Caradoc had gilded specific earrings for her. She arched her eyebrow as she recalled how Lucius made a fuss over this single detail. He wanted to pierce her ears, in fact he demanded it. She caught herself snarling at the recollection of the memory, glad that her ears had remained untouched.

When she finally managed to attach the earrings to her lobes she took a step back and inspected herself. Her hair was pinned half up and thin slivers of gold hung from her ears, picking up the gold trim of her dress and shoes. Suddenly a whisper of amusement appeared on her lips, match by a skeptical shake of the head. Her family would laugh at her. She rolled her eyes only imagining what August would have to say about her fancy clothes and shoes.

It wasn't long before she finished dressing and as she did a tired sigh blew past her lips. Slowly, she shut her eyes. Her hands grasped the edge of the dressing table. It pained her to think that in a years time she would be back, back for good. But she couldn't think about that. Just as Finnick had said, there was no point. The only thing left for her to do was wait. Her eyes opened as she spun around and pressed her back against the table's edge. Suddenly the room looked distant, like a photograph or painting you merely look into. It was time to leave.

With only the clothes on her back, she pushed through the bedroom doors, barely noticing the room around her. Her eyes were glued to the path ahead. That was all she saw. Nothing else mattered but what lay before her.

She had just reached the lobby when a group of Capitol Guards caught up with. One of them, an elderly soldier with a long scar near his eye, grabbed at her wrist. In distress she staggered back, uncomfortably swatting his hand away and eyeing each guard top to bottom.

He lifted his hands with a smile when he noticed her nervous expression. "We're here to escort you, Miss Sullivan."

Her eyes shifted to the other two guards. They were also smiling, smiling as if they were talking to a celebrity.

"I don't need an escort, I was told a car would take me to the train."

"The crowds waiting just outside, they can get a little wild. We're here to accompany you to the car, to make sure you don't get hassled by anyone."

The idea that she needed to be protected was absurd. After all, she just fought in a game to the death. _What made these men think she needed protection against a crowd?_ But as her eyes darted around the hovering guards to catch a glimpse of the windows, she drew back in shock. The roar of chants and cheers shook the floor.

"Miss Sullivan?"

Wide-eyed, she peered back to the elderly guard. "Alright—" she agreed, "Alright."

Pandora gulped loudly as the guard took her wrist and pulled her forward. Her head crooked to the side while the remaining soldiers surrounded her. The closer they moved towards the wide glass doors, the louder the noise of the horde became. She had to convince her feet to move. She wished there was a back door that would aid in her escape, but there were no secret doors. The sumptuous doors of glass were her only way out. This was her life now.

"They'll call your name once you get out there, but ignore them. They just want pictures."

Her mouth became dry when the guard whispered this tip to her.

She could hear her feet pattering against the marble. Suddenly all the muscles in her body were aware. It reminded her of when she was standing on the pedestals in the arena, waiting for the game to begin, but this was another type of game.

Pandora found the courage to look up just as they reached the doors. Her eyes frantically twitched around. Capitol citizens were screaming her name and waving at her. Sudden lights flashed through the glass, they were already trying to get pictures of her.

She could feel the anxiety building, but something abruptly grasped her Pandora turned her head to the right, slowing her steps as she saw him.

Finnick Odair was standing a few paces away. He casually lingered near a column and as they exchanged looks he blinked his eyes, letting his lips stretch into a warm grin.

They were too far to exchange words, but Pandora didn't mind, there were no words to exchange. She returned the smile, letting it reach her eyes as she lifted her hand in a wave.

_Another time_, she told herself, _we will meet again_.

Her lips rubbed together. She only wished it was sooner rather than later.

"Ready, Miss Sullivan?"

Pandora didn't want to look away, but the tug of the guard on her arm told her she needed to.

Her chest filled with air as she glanced back to the glass doors.

"Yes," she said it without doubt, "Yes, I'm ready."

The doors gave way, followed shortly by a dull breeze. Her hair danced around her shoulders and face. Though she looked back and couldn't see Finnick through the chaos of people that started rushing towards her, she knew he was there.

Step by step, she confidently shuffled through the first barricade of people. The car was nearby but first she had to wiggle through the crowd, her eyes widened at the narrow path they had to travel.

"Pandora!" Strangers shouted at her, chaotically trying to get her attention. But she ignored them, keeping her eyes on the shining vehicle.

They tried to grab at her, only to be pushed away by the guards. For once she was glad to be in the hands of the Capitol's military.

"Almost there, Miss Sullivan," the scarred soldier whispered, guiding her closer and closer to the car.

Whistles and cheers buzzed all around her. Even if she wanted to answer the pleas of joy, she wouldn't know where to look. Her fingers rigidly tightened as she took the final step and saw the car door open. The guards helped her in, pushing the crowd back.

Her hands pressed against the leather of the seats and her eyes peered at the scarred soldier. His grey hair blew in the wind as he leaned forward and nodded, "You have a nice journey home."

Her lips parted, she was stunned. "Tha—Thank you."

With a wink he slammed the door shut. Suddenly the noise of the crowd was muffled. Pandora collapsed into the seat with a sigh of fleeting relief. She was glad that the windows of the car were tinted and more than overjoyed to know that they couldn't see her building fear.

Just a few more minutes and she would be on her way back to District 7.

She bowed her head close to the window as they drove through the main streets of the Capitol. For all the time she had been here, she had barely seen the world outside that single building. Her eyes squinted in amazement at giant billboards with advertisements blazing in bright lights, at silver skyscrapers and marble facades that lined the main way.

By the time the car pulled into the train station she was exhausted by everything there was to see. Her lips straightened as the driver helped her out and directed her to the entry. Lux Halstead had already boarded the train, all that was left was her.

Glimpses of steel beams stared back at her. Her heart raced as she climbed the steps of the platform, lifting her eyes to the billowing steam of the train. From where she stood she could see Halstead and Catia Lawson through the windows of the dining cart.

_Just a few more steps_.

She brushed her dark hair behind her ears and kept a quick pace, searching for the entrance to the train. At the edge of the platform her eyes narrowed, she had finally found it. Her hand was just about to reach for the railing when a chill prickled the skin on her neck. It was alarming but somehow familiar.

"Pandora—"

Her heart stopped.

As she turned around her lips parted.

Adric Pedersen was standing in front of her. He wasn't wearing his black uniform, instead he was in his pedestrian clothes: black trousers with a shockingly blue shirt that somehow made his blonde hair blonder. In his civilian clothes it wasn't hard for Pandora to believe that he was only a few years older than her. He looked like a young man, not a soldier.

The white steam of the train blew in between them as a sudden gust of wind creaked the foundations of the platform.

"What are you doing here?"

He looked sad, just as he looked the night of her closing interviews.

"I came to send you off."

She took a step back, cynically eyeing him. "Why would you want to do that?"

His dark eyes scanned her face for a moment. He moved his lip as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

"I didn't know," he finally said.

"What?"

"I didn't know about the serum."

Pandora's eyes hardened. There were a million things to say, but none of them seemed to truly encompass how the mentioning of that serum made her feel. Instead she peered back at the train, shaking her head, "I have to go—"

She tried to walk away, only to feel his hand grab her arm and hold her back.

"Please—I need you to know that!"

A spark of rage ignited inside her. When she turned to look at him, every muscle in her face was rigid.

"And so what?! Now I know. It doesn't change anything. What do you expect? You want me to forgive you? You're a coward…I saw it that night and I see it now."

She didn't understand why it meant so much to him, why Adric needed her to know that he wasn't part of the great scheme that President Snow had in store for her.

"I follow orders, that's what I do. I'm a soldier. It was how was raised, how my family is. You understand family don't you?"

Her eyes filled with acid. "You don't even know me, Adric."

It was the first time she had used his name. He seemed surprised.

"Why does it matter to you what I think? We barely know each other, you're nothing to me."

"Because—" He tightened his jaw, "It just does."

She thrashed her arm away from him and took a step back.

The whistle of the train pierced through the silence.

For a moment she thought he was going to give up and turn around, but he didn't. His eyes remained on her. "You'll be coming back soon."

Her face grew grim.

"Please understand...I'm not saying that to taunt you. I'm saying it because I want you to know that when you do come back, I'll be here."

She shook her head in confusion, "Why are you speaking to me as if you know me?"

The ends of his blonde hair stirred around his ears, "I can't explain it."

"What?!"

His muscles sadly tugged on his lips. Finally he looked away. "It doesn't matter."

The second whistle of the train sounded.

His hand slid into the pocket of his trouser as he took a firm step forward.

Pandora's eyes narrowed.

He was only an arm length away when he revealed what he had been searching for. Her eyes widened and her breathing hitched. Dangling from his fingers was the bracelet Dash gave her.

"How did you—" The question was lost to the wind as she reached out and felt the cold metal.

She had thought it was gone forever.

"Snow said I lost it in the arena."

"You did."

Her eyes twitched to his face. "How did you find it?"

"I guess I just looked."

"_All aboard!"_ The conductor called.

Her thumb glided over the tree charm, she was dumbfounded.

Without speaking he wrapped the silver chain around her wrist and fastened it, keeping his eyes on the bracelet even though Pandora was staring right at him.

"I came here to say I'm sorry," his eyes remained on her wrist, "For whatever part I took, I'm sorry."

She slowly took her wrist back, uncertainty rising inside her.

"I have to go."

He nodded, stepping back and showing a solemn smile. She couldn't help but to look in his eyes, to see the glimmer of understanding in them. _It was impossible_, she thought, _how could he understand?_ But there he was, disguised in the mist.

"I'll see you around, Pandora Sullivan."

Her hand reached for the handle as she leapt onto the first step of the train and looked back. The steam surrounded Adric, it was that single memory that she would recall when she arrived back home. It was that image of a young officer from the Capitol wrapped in mystery...a stranger...that would stick with her.

A screech signaled the departure. Suddenly she turned her face away.

Her nostrils stung from the exhaust and her eyes narrowed as she walked through the compartments, finally arriving in the dining cart.

"Pandora!"

She tried to smile, but it barely registered on her face.

Catia looked like she was back to her old self. "What took you so long?"

Pandora dropped her eyes and hurriedly took a seat near the windows of the compartment. "It took a while to get through the crowd."

"Well I shouldn't be surprised! You're a star now."

Her lips pursed in disgust as Catia spoke.

"Want some food?"

"I'm not hungry," she caressed the silver bracelet on her wrist in thought.

"Aren't you excited, Pandora?! You're going home."

The wheels of the train started moving.

Pandora's eyes shifted to the window.

Slowly the train began picking up speed. Her eyes danced around, stopping as she caught a glimpse of the figure in the mist. She pressed her fingers against the metal chain. Her eyes followed the figure of Adric Pedersen, even after he was nothing but a shadow she stared back.

"Pandora?"

She furrowed her brow as Catia's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Her face turned slight towards Catia. "What was that?"

"I asked if you're excited to go home."

Her fingers moved to the window. "Home?" she whispered, blinking her eyes at the blurring landscape, "Just on the horizon."

"Well—" Catia speechlessly glanced from Pandora to Lux, "Yes, I suppose it is."

Her eyes remained on the window. The heat from her fingers caused the glass to fog.

"Are you alright, Pandora?"

Slowly, she peered to Catia. Pandora wished there was an answer. It was a question that she had been asking herself since the reaping and one she would ask the rest of her life.

"I will be," she whispered finally, "Some day soon, I think I will."

The train soared through the mountains, the tracks bending to the will of the steel wheels.

Memories started scratching at the back of her mind. Memories of faces she longed to see smiled beside expressions that haunted her, recollections of death, of the brutality of the arena, and of the cold bite of snow.

In homage of her father and Marius, of Wisty and the gangly boy from District 6, in homage of them all, her had softly pressed against her chest. Someday they would all meet again. They waited for her some place far removed from Panem, a place just beyond the endless blue.

Before her lay all the perils of the future and the unknown. Nightmares not yet dreamed, and mysteries waiting to be uncovered.

For one last time, just before the sunset, she lifted her eyes to the horizon. Beyond all the mountains, softly waiting in a harbor of trees, home was waiting for her.

|END OF EPOCH ONE|

* * *

**Pandora Sullivan will return in _When Heaven's Vault Cracked_.**


	20. End Notes

_End Notes_

The second installment in the saga has been posted. To all those that wish, the story continues in _When Heaven's Vault_ _Cracked_ and it's patiently waiting for you.

Thank you for the support and feeback. It really has inspired me to continue on with this story and characters. I can't tell you guys how much it means to me. The concepts and characters throughout this saga are close to my heart and developed in great detail. I hope you continue on the journey.


End file.
